Legend
by AkizukiSakura
Summary: Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. Formerly "Pirates". ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**Title: **_Legend_ (_formerly _Pirates)  
**Author: **_AkizukiSakura  
_**Series: **_Cardcaptor Sakura  
_**Genre: **_Romance/Adventure/Fantasy  
_**Rating: **_M/R  
_**Pairing(s): **Sakura/Eriol  
**Spoilers/Warnings: **_None  
_**Disclaimer: **_Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by the esteemed CLAMP and all subsequent copyrights. I claim no ownership of this series, nor do I make monetary profit from the writing of this story. Similarly, the realms of Tortall et all belong to Tamora Pierce.  
_**Summary: **_Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. It was the beginning of a long journey. Now she must travel throughout the realms to right the wrongs caused by this new power and face her enemy._

-CCS-

**Prologue**

_He didn't know why he'd woken so late in the night. When he glanced out of his window and caught sight of the nearly-full moon through his window he knew from its position that it was very late indeed. If he'd been a light sleeper perhaps this occurrence might not have been quite so strange, but he usually slept deeply through the night and rose with the sun._

_He lay in bed for several more minutes but, when it seemed sleep was not going to return easily to him, he sighed and sat up. Pushing the heavy winter coverlet away from his legs he set his feet on the polished floorboards, noting their worn smoothness fondly, and stood up. Since he was awake he thought he might like a glass of water; he really would have preferred green tea but that would have only woken him more._

_His footsteps were cat-quiet as he moved nearly silently down the hall, careful not to wake his son sleeping in the room next to his. Though the sliding paper door to his room was plain, his son's was painted nicely of a peach tree in full bloom, the petals captured in the act of falling delicately to the floor. Unlike his father, the boy that slept within was a light sleeper and prone to waking up in the few times his father wandered the house at night_

_Though he only meant to go to the kitchen for water he stopped before entering the room, a hand resting on the sliding door, his gaze straying to the front door. His brow furrowed slightly; this man rarely frowned in anger. This was a slight frown of curiosity. Why did he have the strange feeling to go open the door? _

_Like nearly everyone that resided in these realms this man was a believer in the gods and the divine realms. Perhaps different gods sponsored different lands but he knew they existed. It was said, often, that the gods liked to interfere in the lives of mortals for whatever reason; right now he would have bet a gold coin that one of the gods was urging him to go open that door. _

_Who was he to ignore the gods?_

_Even with such a feeling he was not aptly inclined to openly trust whatever could be on the other side of that door. Still moving quietly he unlatched the door – unlike the inner doors this one was made, like the walls, of sturdy wood – and opened it just a fraction. A moment later he threw it open completely, his expression morphing quickly to shocked horror._

_Moonlight glittered off a bed of fresh snow with lightly falling flakes gradually and gently adding height to the already-tall drifts. It should have been quite poetically beautiful. His late wife would have thrilled in writing poetry – a form the Easterners would call "haiku" – about the silver-tinted frost. _

_The marring on the otherwise peaceful winter setting was the dark-haired woman lying on the wood of the walkway. Half of her body was submerged in the foot of snow covering the grass; the walkways had been spared due to the fact that they were covered by extensions of the roof held up by thin, square wooden poles. A deep, viscous liquid oozed from multiple lacerations on the woman's body. From the tattered clothes – well made and expensive – he could see signs of whipping and a deep stab wound in her left breast. _

_Her skin, if she was a native, should have been a creamy golden brown but blood loss had turned it ashen. Her breath puffed unevenly in the chilled air and, even though he was no healer, he knew that this woman would not live. It was only when he moved further out onto the walkway that he noticed an abnormality about this situation: He always locked the circular gates every night before he went to bed. They were closed and locked now – he could see moonlight glinting off the locks – so how had she gotten in?_

_Looking down upon the woman again he was startled to see a pair of blue-grey eyes looking up at him through a heavy fringe of dark lashes. He was equally surprised that her lips were moving. Hastily he knelt to hear what he was certain would be her last words. Her fingers twitched; clearly she was trying to move her hand. On instinct he reached out and touched her icy fingers to clasp her hand. In that moment a spark jumped between them. A gasp was all he was allowed before his mind was yanked fiercely. _

_There was a moment of pure blackness._

_When he regained his senses he could tell that his eyes were closed, yet he could still see the woman clearly. She was sitting upright in the prim and proper way that showed not only her manners but also that she was a well-bred noblewoman of the Isles. Strangely, a shadow covered her eyes and nose. Though the overall structure of her features was blank and smooth, as was custom in the Isles, he could hear the fear and desperation in her voice when she spoke. Though he had a sense of his ears her voice sounded more in his mind than anything, a voice of sweet honey laced with terrible pain._

"_Please…" Anguish, loss… "I erased my tracks and spelled open the gate," she admitted sorrowfully – trespassing was extremely disrespectful. "I had no choice… They want my baby… My poor child… Please," her voice whispered in agony. There was a sob in her tone as she went on. "On my body there is a purse of jewels… Sell them and anything of value, take what you need, but please…" _

_He knew what she wanted even before he saw the tears tracing down her smooth cheeks, creating rivets in her white powder. _

"_Take care of my baby… My little cherry blossom…"_

_His heart lurched for this doomed woman and, without having to think on it further, he nodded his assent. The tension in her elegant hands – artist's hands, he noted absently – faded. A smile of gratitude lit her face. He felt more than heard her heartfelt thanks, the feeling warming his heart like sunshine._

_For the second time he felt his consciousness briefly recede._

_When he blinked he was once again kneeling in front of the dying woman. With a – he was sure – supreme effort the woman rolled onto her side, gave one last, shuddering breath, and lay still. Respectfully he reached out and drew a hand over her face, closing the eyes that would see no longer from this physical body. He looked down and saw a tiny child, a girl who looked no older than perhaps three years of age, lying in the snow. Her kimono, like her mother's, were elegant silk with delicate embroidery, but they were ruined by the blood her mother had shed to keep her alive. The child did not seem injured in any physical way. _

_As he used to do for his son he reached down and gathered the child into his arms. It was his night to be surprised, it seemed, for a pair of very green eyes looked up into his. Instantly he fell in love with the little girl that gazed up at him with such trust, the little girl that had shed tears for her dead mother but did not scream or struggle… The little girl that was to be his daughter now. His cherry blossom._

_His Sakura._

-CCS-

_In Japan, and in the Yamani Islands, kimono are worn in pairs, hence the plural terms. Like many Japanese, and Yamani, words, "kimono" can be both a plural and singular noun. "Kimonos" is also correct, but "kimono" is my preference._

_I say Japan and the Yamani Islands because it's pretty obvious to me what culture Tamora Pierce was basing her Yamani off of._

_I'm very happy to have finally gotten around to this rewrite, but while I have other chapters completed for now the prologue is all that I'll put up until I know if people like this one as much as – preferably better than – the original._

_I am aware of how short this is. It's just a prologue. The next chapter is well over 4,000 words and growing. Perhaps they won't be the longest chapters, but ah well. One does what one can._

_Ciao!_


	2. Encounter

**Title: **_Legend_ (_formerly _Pirates)  
**Author: **_AkizukiSakura  
_**Series: **_Cardcaptor Sakura  
_**Genre: **_Romance/Adventure/Fantasy  
_**Rating: **_M/R  
_**Pairing(s): **_Sakura/Eriol  
_**Spoilers/Warnings: **_None  
_**Disclaimer: **_Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by the esteemed CLAMP and all subsequent copyrights. I claim no ownership of this series, nor do I make monetary profit from the writing of this story. Similarly, the realms of Tortall et all belong to Tamora Pierce.  
_**Summary: **_Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. It was the beginning of a long journey. Now she must travel throughout the realms to right the wrongs caused by this new power and face her enemy._

-CCS-

**Chapter 1:**_ Encounter_

This morning, as she often did, Sakura woke up to find her blanket tossed in one direction, her pillow in another, and her position on her futon strange. As always she could not remember what she had dreamt that night but she knew that it had not been a pleasant dream. From the way her chest heaved with uneven breaths and the disarray she left her futon in she could only guess that the dream was one that involved harried, quick movement.

Sakura had long ago given up wondering what had so disturbed her that she would sleep so restlessly every night. There was no use in trying to ponder what could not be pondered, her father would say, and since her father had shown on many occasions to be correct Sakura tended to take his advice whenever he gave it.

Seeing sunlight creeping into the room through the shutters she gave up on sleep, as she did every morning, and got up. Folding her futon and bedclothes she pushed open the shutters and leaned out. Immediately a breeze smelling of brine swirled through the opening, tousling her brunette braid teasingly. Eyes of deep emerald framed in heavy, thick lashes scanned the area over the wall that surrounded her father's house and landed happily upon the sparkling waves of the sea.

Sakura had been told, often, that she very much resembled the mother she could not remember.

She breathed in deeply, eyes twinkling excitedly, for today was the day the city honored the gods in a festival that began with the rise of the sun and ended when the last of the stars vanished from the heavens the next day. Though her father and brother would be busy for some time today they had promised to go with her to the festival tonight. For the time until then Sakura planned to go by herself to find the most interesting attractions to take her only family to – it was what she had done for four years now, ever since her fourteenth birthday.

She lingered by the window for several more minutes before a voice hailed her from downstairs.

"Sakura, breakfast is ready!"

"Okay!" she called back cheerily, hurriedly throwing on the light yukata she wore around the house and sliding her feet into slippers. Some of the Yamani had begun to assimilate the styles of the Eastern lands. Ever since Princess Shinkokami had wed a Tortallan prince several years back the princess' visitors had brought back stories of the Eastern court and fashions, just as the Tortallans had learned from their Yamani allies and friends. Because of this many Yamani wore a combined style of an open kimono-like over dress with an Eastern-style under dress for the women or the tighter hakama and tunic for the men. Sakura, too, liked to dress that way – it was fashionable and comfortable, like the breeches she wore to work outside in – but for days of festivals everyone wore traditional clothing.

Her yukata was looser than fashion required, since she was just wearing it around the house, so she was able to run downstairs instead of walking with the small, ladylike gait she had been taught. Her father and brother looked up and she skipped into the kitchen. Where other families might have frowned at her and reminded her of her manners, her father had spent a good amount of time in other lands due to his job and he was much more easygoing. Most Yamani were nowadays.

"Good morning father, big brother," she chirped as she knelt at the low table on her cushion, smiling at the room in general. Her brother muttered something about it being a "late morning", prompting a scowl from the girl, and her father only smiled serenely as she placed her hands together for the brief, one word prayer.

"It looks delicious!" she exclaimed after they'd said grace, digging in enthusiastically.

It used to be that the Yamani were known to "be as stone", with their expressionless faces and unemotional exchanges, and even now they were a most solemn populace, but times had changed since the days of the first emperor. In political or formal conversation polite speech and no emotions were still strictly adhered to – and Sakura could be as blank as everyone else – but anyone who knew her knew that Sakura was an extremely cheerful girl who had a smile for everyone and always made time for her family and friends. In the past her brown hair and green eyes might have been commented on, since the Yamani had black hair and dark eyes in general, but with so many people emigrating to the Isles it was not so unusual to see a few different attributes cropping up in the children.

Sakura spoke happily with her brother and father as she consumed rice, fish, and eggs and then sipped her tea as they, too, finished eating before she gathered their dishes. They had maids, of course – her father employed a handful of people to work in his large house – but Sakura, her brother Touya, and her father Fujitaka took turns cooking the meals and clearing the table; Fujitaka said that it kept them as a family. With breakfast over Sakura gave her father a kiss and her brother a hug and rushed upstairs to put on her afternoon kimono. She would dress up later when she went with her family; for now she was content with a simple summer yukata and flat sandals.

-CCS-

Watching his sister run out the gate Kinomoto Touya looked up from his abacus to find his father's usually warm brown gaze on him. Touya frowned, putting the tool down and giving his father his attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Fujitaka sighed, the action in itself a rare occurrence that had Touya immediately worried. Rarely did his father _not_ smile. When Fujitaka glanced out the window toward the gates Touya knew what was on his mind. "You're still trying to decide whether or not to tell her?" he asked sympathetically. When Sakura entered their lives Touya had been old enough to understand that his father had not found her under normal circumstances, but when Fujitaka gave no signs of wanting to tell Sakura what little he knew of her true parentage Touya had decided to respect his reluctance and kept his mouth shut, too. Fujitaka put his quill down – the older families still used brushes – and sat back on his legs, obviously upset.

"I should tell her," he admitted. Touya was nearly twenty-four years old now. By all rights he should have settled down with any of the females that had been eyeing him over the years, but, as he told his father often, he was not ready to settle with anyone. If he'd been a woman it would not have mattered, but because he did his share of the work around the house and ran odd jobs around the city to supplement Fujitaka's rather vast pension his father did not mind. To be honest he loved his children dearly and would have been content if they stayed with him.

Knowing his son was so responsible had made Touya a confidant to Fujitaka many times over the years and, just like his father, Touya had a level head and good insight.

"She will be eighteen in another week, a woman grown, but I know her dreams are still troubled… I don't want to make them worse, but…" Just like the night he had taken Sakura in Fujitaka felt that the gods were trying once more to intervene in his life. A sense deep in his mind told him that something was going to happen soon and that Sakura would need to know.

It did not help his feelings at all, though, because he loved his Sakura like she was his own daughter and he could not bear even the thought of her youthful radiance being shadowed by such sorrow.

"She's grown," Touya remarked suddenly, causing his father to blink at the sudden change in topic. His son did not look at him as he picked up his abacus and quill again. "The young men of the city have begun to notice her, even more so now than when she was a cute little girl..." He glanced at his father: Fujitaka was now gnawing on his lower lip somewhat worriedly.

With the pretense of glancing outside at the cloudless sky Touya kept his gaze subtly on his father and smiled faintly when Fujitaka seemed to make up his mind.

"I'll tell her soon… I don't want to spoil the festival for her…"

-CCS-

On a normal day Kanekura was a beautiful city filled with elegant houses and intricately carved statues. The streets were paved with stone flags and the shops were tidy and neat. Kanekura was possibly the largest port city of the Yamani Islands. Even though it was situated on one of the islands farthest from the capital it was still a lively city filled with plenty of tourists in the long tunics of the Carthakis, hose and tunics of Tortallians, and brightly colored wraps of the Copper Islanders. Though the latter country was in the death throes of a rebellion from when the _raka_ had overthrown their white king and queen to place a half-and-half queen on the throne, negotiations and treaties between all three countries were steadily coming to fruition.

Like many large cities Kanekura had its slums but even those were starting to improve under the influx of wealth and merchandise gained from places all around the Emerald Ocean.

Today was not a normal day for Kanekura. There was still a delightful mishmash of people of various ethnic backgrounds wandering the city but today the Copper Islanders' clothes were not the most colorful objects around to catch the eye. Bright paper lanterns hung from market stalls. The empty glass globes strung with them would later be lit with mage lights so the festival could carry on into the night. Brilliant posies of flowers decorated posts, arms, kimono, and hair; cherry blossoms littered the walkways. Early spring meant the pink flora were in full bloom.

Sakura loved it this year as she did every year. Vendors at kiosks sold not only native food, such as balls of rice with plum or kelp and sticky, sweet cakes studded with fruit but also foreign foods like skewers of roast lamb from the Tortallan Bazhir and spicy chilies from the Copper Islands. Though the festival was originally intended to celebrate Yamani gods, over the years it had slowly grown to being a festival in honor of all of the deities that inhabited the divine realms.

In fact, this new diversity had some of the traditionalists grumbling about a departure from their true culture. Sakura was glad that her father and brother were open-minded, as were most of her friends. A culture that, she knew from reading, stayed isolated often died out because it stayed so stagnant and unchanging, unable to keep up with the growth in marketing and the birth and discovery of new magics and spells. Sakura was of the same mind as much of the younger population here – they still respected their gods and honored their traditions. Surely they could not be punished for growth and for their acceptance of those that offered the hand of friendship?

Sakura did not think so.

As she walked along the road, sandals clicking much less obviously than the formal, raised sandals she would wear later, Sakura's vow to buy nothing and participate in nothing until she came back with her family was tested almost beyond her limits. Someone in the Copper Islands had discovered that the product of a certain tree mixed with various ingredients created a rich, creamy treat that had much of the realm astonished and pleased with what they had called "chocolate". Sakura could smell the heady scent coming from somewhere nearby but she purposefully walked in a different direction away from the heavenly smells. There would be time for that later.

It was as she was walking along that Sakura noticed movement in one of the narrow alleys. She hesitated, knowing that it was rarely anything good happening if it had to happen in seclusion. She bit her lip and glanced around. No one else had noticed, it seemed. There was a dark-haired gentleman and his lighter-haired companion closest to the alley but they were engaged in speaking to someone that was obscured by their horses. Sakura swallowed. She'd just take a peak, and if it turned out to be anything bad she'd run for a guard.

She tried to look casual as she made her way to the opening of the alley, thankful she'd worn these bamboo sandals rather than her more expensive, three-inch patterns. Her footsteps were lost in the many that clattered over the road as she finally reached the alley. Once again she looked around, hoping, but again it seemed that no one had noticed. She gulped and edged silently into the alley, turning her emerald gaze on what was happening. Immediately she forgot her vow of silence, her expression turning angered.

"What do you think you are doing?" she demanded. All three men's faces snapped up and over to her. They'd been kneeling on the dirt of the alley but Sakura had seen what they were doing – what they were torturing. Her fear was forgotten in her anger that anyone would torture an animal. "You are not children! You know the law about animals!" It didn't occur to her that these three men were much larger than her slight, curved frame or that they were all dressed in dark clothes.

To her eternal surprise whatever it was they had been torturing shot out from between the legs of one of the men, launching itself at Sakura. Instinctively she opened her arms and caught the golden thing. Getting a good look at it her jaw dropped; the men were forgotten as she examined the pitiful creature. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. In fact, it resembled the stuffed, plush toys she often got on her birthdays but it was warm and it was dirty. It bore large ears, a long tail with a tuft of white fur on the end and, most astonishing of all, a pair of white wings.

"Great Goddess," she breathed in shock. Heavy footsteps echoing in the confines of the alley broke her stupor and she looked up. The men had gotten to their feet and were eyeing her with anger, annoyance, and something like morbid interest. Sakura felt her momentarily bought of courage desert her and she took a step back. When they shifted into a run Sakura turned on her heel and fled the alley, cradling the poor creature close to her bosom. She was careful to try not to run into anyone or get in the way at first but her pursuers were not nearly so genial. Shouts from the festival patrons told her that she was, indeed, being pursued.

She rather wished she hadn't worn such a bright yukata today. With its patterns of light pink cherry blossoms, her namesake, on a dark pink background and the gold embroidery she knew it was a unique design because her father had made it for her. It was also tight around her legs as fashion required. Even though it was terribly indecent she yanked at her light obi and loosened the folds of cloth around her legs. If nothing else Sakura was very athletic and with her yukata looser around her ankles she could widen her stride to cover more distance.

Perhaps it had been a mistake but after twenty minutes of running and having to dodge people Sakura ducked into an alley. To her surprise she could see the heavily gilded roofs and pagodas of the imperial palace. As a commoner she was not allowed in but since the area was heavily patrolled it also meant that she could run through the maze of alleys and not have to worry about any homeless people trying to slow her up. As she ran, though, she could hear her pursuers' footsteps following her. They sounded closer but, for some reason, they sounded lighter, too.

She understood why when she came upon a relatively open space with alleys on either side plus the one she'd been running through – an intersection with three paths. Turning to run down one of them she stopped dead. One of her pursuers was coming from that direction. Dreading what she might see she turned; another was nearly upon her from that side, too. Now she knew why their footsteps had sounded so different. They had split up to trap her.

With nowhere to run Sakura backed up until she hit the wall of a building, holding her precious burden tightly and trying to think of a way out of this. The men came upon her mere moments later and Sakura still didn't have a plan. The one that had been on her heels the whole time, apparently the leader, walked toward her, his handsome features twisted into a sneer.

"Think you're some kind of hero, little girl?" Even though she was far from a child – her figure said that, if nothing else – Sakura did not speak. This man spoke Yamani fluently but she could tell that he was not a native. The occasional emphasis snuck into his words and there were no inflections in Yamani. His hair was lighter than hers, too, but not quite the blonde of a Scanran. His skin seemed to be a shade of the _raka_ copper. In the end she decided that he must be of mixed decent because he didn't overly resemble any of the various nationalities around the Emerald Ocean.

She shrank back as he drew his sword – his companions following suit – and he stepped within striking distance. Using the flat of his sword he tipped her chin up, his gaze thoughtful as he examined her. Then the glinting tip sank lower until it pricked her neck. Sakura began to tremble and, inwardly, she berated her stupidity.

"Why don't you give him back to me, and I'll spare your life?" the man asked suddenly, shocking Sakura. She didn't move or speak, afraid of the sword at her neck. He seemed to realize what was wrong because he withdrew it slightly. Sakura looked down at the creature in her arms. Why was she so adamant about protecting it? She didn't even know what it was. Glancing at the man again she saw that he was still studying her, his expression one of intensity. Her arms tightened around the winged bear in her arms.

She couldn't do it. Who knew what would happen to it? Maybe it would happen anyway but Sakura would not be able to live with herself knowing she had given up a small creature to save her own life. The man must have seen her decision in her green eyes for his brown ones went flat and cold. He moved so swiftly that Sakura could not follow the blade. If not for what had happened next Sakura knew she would have been killed.

Something glanced off the blade, altering its course. Sakura's neck was spared but she did not escape unscathed – the blade ended up buried in her shoulder instead. Scowling, the man yanked his sword free and turned. His scowl dissolved to fear when he saw that both of his men had been snuck up on and knocked out silently while he was dealing with the girl. Hazily Sakura recognized the blue-black hair of one and the dark brown of the other – these were the men with the horses that had been talking to someone near the alley. It was the darker-haired man that spoke up first. Both were dressed in formal hakama.

"You're back in the Isles despite the warrant for your arrest, Bludwin? I'm surprised." His voice was smooth and cultured and oddly pleasant despite the seriousness of his words and the naked sword in his left hand. He could have been talking about the weather with that tone. His cobalt gaze shifted to the injured girl slowly sinking to her knees and his gaze went flint-hard. "And you've upgraded from thief to murderer, it would seem."

It was the other man's turn to speak up. Like Bludwin, his hair and eyes were brown but this man's eyes were the warm brown of chocolate while Bludwin's were the liquid, murky brown of mud.

"You knew what would happen if you returned – " he began only to cut off sharply as Bludwin, desperate now, lunged forward and viciously grabbed the half-conscious girl. In a moment he had his back to the wall and the tip of the sword to her neck, his other arm looped around her waist.

"Come closer and she dies," he spat hatefully, his gaze on the brown-eyed male. Both of them had stopped moving. A scowl crossed the tawny-eyed male's features. A stalemate. Bludwin couldn't leave with Sakura – she would hinder him. They couldn't approach, though, with the danger that he might kill the young woman.

Then something happened that none of the men predicted.

Sakura lifted her foot and jammed her heel harshly down and into Bludwin's instep. Had he been wearing boots it would have lessened the impact and she might have been killed but, in order to blend with the crowds Bludwin and his men had donned the Yamani men's yukata and sandals. Sakura's sandaled feet weren't enough to do permanent damage but the pain was unexpected enough that Bludwin yelped, taking his hand from her waist momentarily. Sakura lurched forward away from the man and tripped.

It was lucky that she fell because Bludwin had swept out his sword for the kill. As it was he only pierced her injured shoulder again, her momentum slicing the cut wider and yanking the sword from his grip. It was all the opening the dark-haired male needed. Before Bludwin could retrieve his sword the blue-eyed man's sword had slid through his chest. He yanked his blade out, ignoring the blood that sprayed, and watched impassively as Bludwin slid down against the wall, dead almost before he hit the ground. He turned to Sakura, who had managed to sit up. One arm still cradled the unconscious creature and she had a hand clasped to her bloody shoulder.

He could tell she was in shock. Sheathing his sword – it would only frighten her more if he kept it out – he knelt in front of her but looked up. "Perhaps you should fetch our horses, your highness," he suggested. Sakura was too much in pain to realize that one of her saviors was the prince, which meant that this man here had to be the prince's best friend and adviser, Hiiragizawa Eriol.

As the prince went to fetch the horses they'd tethered the next alley over Eriol reached out. Sakura flinched so violently that she lost her balance and nearly fell over; hastily Eriol caught her uninjured shoulder to steady her.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked, even though he knew better than to ask for her name. He'd dealt with shock victims before. Again, though, this girl seemed to be full of surprises.

"…S-Sakura. Kinomoto Sakura," the girl managed, shivering noticeably now. He stared at her, somewhat impressed at this girl's fortitude. She might be dead now if she hadn't the bravery to attack Bludwin and the fact that she could still speak even after witnessing a man being killed spoke volumes on her character. Still, Eriol moved slowly so as not to spook her.

"I'm going to heal your wounds now," he explained slowly, resting a gentle hand on the stained and torn shoulder of her yukata. "Try not to move, okay?" He waited until she gave a trembling nod before he started to loosen her obi. He blinked when he realized it was already loose and noticed that her legs were visible, too. She must have loosened it so that she could run. His opinion of the girl cranked up another notch. Carefully, so that she wouldn't become too skittish, he pushed down the side of her yukata to bare her bleeding shoulder. In spite of his experience with wounds he wanted to whistle. He was impressed that she hadn't passed out. The entire right side of the upper half of her yukata was stained with blood. From its design and rich cloth he could guess that she was not poor.

That a woman could manage to stave off a faint… He could tell from her timidity and lack of bulkier muscle that she was not trained to fight. Her skin was smooth and unmarred, so clearly she was not Shang – a Shang rarely went through life without scars of some sort.

Putting aside his curiosity for the time being Eriol laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, the blue glow of his magic already gathering at his fingertips.

By the time Eriol had finished healing the wounds the prince had returned with their horses and Sakura had slumped against his chest, having finally passed out. No matter what Eriol did, though, she would not release whatever gold-furred thing she held so tightly. He stood with the young woman in his arms, glancing at his prince.

"Kinomoto?" he asked. The prince nodded.

"The father is a diplomat – he's the one who arranged out treaties with Carthak and the Copper Islands." The prince held Sakura while Eriol mounted up before passing the unconscious girl up to him and mounting his horse. "His house and small estate were awarded to him by the emperor. I know where they are."

-CCS-

Fujitaka nearly had a heart attack when his gate-keeper came running to tell him that his daughter was unconscious on a horse with a man, and he wasn't the only one. Before Fujitaka had even gotten to his feet, not that it took him long, Touya had already rushed out of the room and down the hall.

Fujitaka caught up with his son just in time to hear him demanding to know what had happened to his sister. He was just opening his mouth to say something else when Fujitaka laid a hand on his son's shoulder. Touya blinked and shut his mouth, the faintest tint of red touching his cheeks. His father bowed to the two men, recognizing them, and gestured to the house.

"Please come in, your highness, my lord," he said politely. "Your horses will be cared for while we speak. I would very much like to know why my daughter is in this state." Eriol and the prince exchanged glances.

"Syaoran?" Eriol questioned, leaving the choice up to his prince. The older appeared to think for a moment before he dismounted, handing his reigns over to the young stable hand waiting to accept them. The youth nearly dropped them, awed by the imperial prince's presence, but he managed to compose himself appropriately. Well then, that settled it. Seeing as how Touya was fidgeting, clearly wanting to do something, Eriol beckoned him closer and carefully helped him get Sakura off the horse before he, too, dismounted.

While Touya took Sakura upstairs to her room Fujitaka made tea for their guests. By the time Touya returned the tea had been poured and they had waited politely for him to come back down before beginning.

It was Syaoran who broke the silence first.

"You have a very brave daughter, Mr. Kinomoto," he addressed Fujitaka, noting that the man sat a little straighter and seemed to relax with the compliment. Despite being the prince, Syaoran had found that Eriol was much more charismatic when speaking to people, so he glanced at Eriol and indicated that he tell the story.

By the time Eriol was finished both Fujitaka and Touya would have been gaping had it not been entirely rude. Almost simultaneously they both looked up at the ceiling, each probably thinking the same thing. Their gentle, sweet _Sakura_ had done all that?

Fujitaka breathed an astonished breath and sat back, sipping from his cup for several moments before he set it down and addressed the prince and his advisor again.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," he said first. Both young men acknowledged his thanks with an inclined head and a faint blush. "I would like to know, though, what this will mean." His gaze went a little sad. "It is my experience with things of this nature that a person in Sakura's position will be called upon for testimony." Syaoran shook his head, surprising Fujitaka.

"We were there the entire time. She won't need to go before a magistrate because we already know what happened." There was no mistaking the relief on Fujitaka's face. Eriol drained his tea cup and set it down, looking at Syaoran. The prince, too, set down his cup. "I will have a reward for the young lady sent after the festival. No matter how we look at things, she _did_ assist in the capture of two bandits and the…incapacitation of their leader."

Fujitaka might have protested but _no one _refused imperial hospitality. Instead he bowed low to express his thanks. When he straightened both Syaoran and Eriol were rising to their feet. Fujitaka followed suit and, after a moment, Touya got to his feet as well. He was staring at Eriol now and the adviser wasn't certain he liked the thoughtful gaze.

"Mr. Kinomoto?" he asked delicately. Touya blinked, apparently startled, and bowed.

"My apologies," he said quietly. There was a long bout of silence between the four men before Syaoran nodded to Eriol and left the room. Eriol sighed and looked back at Touya.

"She only fainted from shock," he murmured, to the younger Kinomoto's surprise. Touya looked up to find Eriol smiling almost wryly. "Her wounds have been healed but her shoulder will be sore for some time. Make sure she does nothing too strenuous…" With that he, too, departed. Both Touya and Fujitaka turned to the window and watched in silence as the prince and his companion mounted their horses and departed, the gatekeeper shutting the large, circular gates behind them.

-CCS-

_I noticed that I have a few readers from the original _Pirates_? That makes me pretty happy. I hope you all are enjoying this new version, even if it is only just starting off. I have no intentions upon abandoning it again, but between everything I have going on right now, I am unable to promise anything._

_Also, I was asked by one of my esteemed readers for the old copy of the story? As flattered as I am to be asked, for the time being I am going to have to refuse, if only because the idea of something I wrote being out there without my name on it disturbs me. I promise it is not a trust issue. The fact of the matter remains, though, that I do not wish to give it out. I am very sorry._

_On a related topic, this story only looks completely different, but many aspects will remain unchanged. The major difference is, of course, the fact that I nixed the idea of having pirates. Or, rather, the idea of Sakura being a pirate; the villain I've finally settled on is not one who would want Sakura dead, considering what is to happen._

_But I digress, badly, and would hate to divulge more of the plot than I want._

_For now, though… _

_Thus ends chapter one; I do hope it was enjoyable enough._

_Word count: 5,495_


	3. Awakening

**Title: **_Legend_ (_formerly _Pirates)  
**Author: **_AkizukiSakura  
_**Series: **_Cardcaptor Sakura  
_**Genre: **_Romance/Adventure/Fantasy  
_**Rating: **_M/R  
_**Pairing(s): **_Sakura/Eriol  
_**Spoilers/Warnings: **_None  
_**Disclaimer: **_Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by the esteemed CLAMP and all subsequent copyrights. I claim no ownership of this series, nor do I make monetary profit from the writing of this story. Similarly, the realms of Tortall et al belong to Tamora Pierce.  
_**Summary: **_Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. It was the beginning of a long journey. Now she must travel throughout the realms to right the wrongs caused by this new power and face her enemy._

-CCS-

**Chapter 2: **_Awakening_

_A key…_

_A book…_

_A card…_

_Harsh winds, burning fires, icy waters, trembling earth… The sun and the moon eclipsed, the darkness not truly dark but the light not fully light…_

-CCS-

Perhaps sitting upright so swiftly had been a mistake given what had transpired the day before. Sakura stifled a gasp of pain as newly-healed skin tugged at her shoulder. She ran a hand over her face, tendrils of hair escaping her braid to lightly tickle her nose and chin.

That had been the first dream she'd remembered in, Goddess, it must be years now. It disturbed her that it felt much more like a nightmare than a dream. She shook herself, wondering just why Ganiel the Dream King seemed to wish to torture her with such restless sleep. A moment later she gave a short prayer of apology, not wanting to anger the gods, and got to her feet. As usual her futon and blankets were in disarray. She'd long since given up wondering and had simply grown into the habit of picking up her mess.

It wasn't until she actually picked up her blanket that she recalled everything that had happened for a golden-furred creature tumbled out onto the floor. Appalled by how easily she had forgotten the poor thing Sakura immediately knelt and picked it up. To her surprise a pair of golden eyes blinked open. She sat, spellbound, for several moments, meeting that curious stare. She was further shocked when it suddenly leapt out of her arms to hover in the air in front of her eyes, looking quite solemn.

"Hello-lo-lo!" it announced suddenly, cheerily, it's little furred face morphing into an expression of immense liveliness. Sakura nearly fell over in shock but she managed to regain her balance at the last moment. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the smiling, winged creature.

"A… A lower islands accent?" she managed faintly. The creature blinked and then smiled genially at her, stretching its little furred arms.

"Hey, you're pretty good, kid! I was there for so long I must have picked up the dialect!" He tilted his head at her, button-black eyes appraising. "So who're you?" he asked. As she opened her mouth to answer, though, there came a knock at her door. Sakura panicked.

"Hide!" she whispered hastily, grabbing the thing and stuffing him out of sight where her futon had been folded. She got to her feet just as the door slid open to reveal her brother. Touya stared at her for a long moment.

"…I thought there was a monster rampaging in here again, but I guess it was just you," he teased finally. Sakura puffed her cheeks in irritation.

"I am not –!" she began to protest but she fell silent when her brother stared at her again, his expression clearly unhappy. "…big brother?" she questioned after several moments of staring and no explanation forthcoming. Her brother appeared startled and shook himself.

"I just came to see if you were awake. Father says lunch is ready and he wanted me to come check on you." In a rare moment of open concern he added, softly, "Can you make it downstairs okay, Sakura?"

For a moment she could only stare at her brother, plainly startled. His cheeks tinged a light pink and she smiled gently.

"I'm fine, big brother," she said softly. "I'll be down in a moment, okay?" Rather than answering, her slightly-blushing older brother nodded and slid the paper door closed again. Sakura shook her head – her older brother chose the strangest moments to be nice. Then again, considering what had happened, she supposed her father and brother were entitled to some concern.

"Hey, I'm still here!"

Sakura turned. The creature had fluttered back over to her, the fluff at the end of his long tail in disarray from her sloppy job at hiding him. He shook his head. "Anyway, I'm Cerberus. And who are you?" he asked again. Sakura smiled and took the tiny paw he offered her. It was strange that he spoke this language with a dialect from the lower regions and yet he offered her an Eastern style greeting.

"I'm Sakura. Kinomoto Sakura," she replied. To her surprise Cerberus' gaze went wide for a moment. Sakura waited for the explanation but the little creature shook his head.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura, and thank you for helping me out back there," he said. Sakura ducked her head sheepishly at the praise. "I need time to recover… Would you mind if I stayed here for a little while?" Sakura bit her lip and glanced at her door before nodding slowly.

"You have to stay in my room, though. I don't know how well father would react to a magical creature living in his house." She looked at the little bear. "Cerberus… That name's too big for you, though. I'm going to call you Kero!" Kero nearly fell out of the air.

"K-Kero?!" he sputtered indignantly. He quailed when Sakura looked at him with her large green eyes. Huffing, his wings fluttered as if to shake off the short bout of anger. "All right." Sakura smiled happily and picked up her blanket again to neaten her room. "You sleep pretty wild," he observed as she folded everything and stacked it appropriately against the wall. Sakura paused.

"I have for a long time," she explained. To her surprise the little creature appeared pensive by this explanation. Somewhat disconcerted Sakura decided it was time to go down for lunch. "…I'll bring you back something to eat, okay?" Kero looked up and nodded.

"Have a good lunch, Sakura…"

-CCS-

"You are absolutely certain of what you saw?"

Very few people had ever seen this man's face. His was the philosophy that the more people who knew who he was, the better the chances for failure. This entire ordeal should have been taken care of fifteen years ago, but no.

His underlings had failed him. It was such a simple task, too! Murder the woman; bring him the child – not so difficult, yes? Apparently it had been a task too complex for those men to grasp, though. What had they babbled?

_But my lord, she used magic! You had not informed us that she was a mage! We– _

There was no more talking after that – he imagined it was hard to talk with a broken neck. Then again, it was probably hard to breathe, too.

Why had he created these underlings again? Certainly it was not for their brains. Their power to overshadow people was a handy one, of course, but they had to choose remarkably stupid people to take over or else others would notice. It was just lucky that trio of thieves had been around.

On their own his shadow creations resembled nothing more than vague black splotches on the floor, thin and shifting like a real shadow. They were, after all, created with _that_ card. So far, it was the only one he had managed to find. He had the aptitude to use these cards; all it required was a powerful will. He wasn't the true master, though. Not yet. And he didn't have the staff to properly seal them or else he could have created more intelligent shadows.

Instead he relied on a staff with a removable crystal knob. The card's form was trapped there so that he could utilize its power even without its consent. Oh well; sacrifices would have to be made before he could overthrow the gods and take the position of supreme ruler.

Not _his_ sacrifices, naturally. The sacrifices of others would suffice.

Now, though, he had interesting news. A girl had been able to touch, even cradle, the Beast. Certainly it looked quite cuddly now but legends said that only one who was completely pure could touch him. That girl's innocence and purity were almost visible in a halo of white aura around her. Even the shadows that cowered at his feet had been able to tell. They trembled in the presence of that strange power, a power that was not of their master's darkness.

True, when he'd first been alive, his Gift had been nothing special, though the color had been a spectacular shade of orange. Until it had been tainted upon his first resurrection, that was. Orange and purple – what a lovely, fitting color that had created.

Now, though, with his second rebirth he held power that mortals had not known for centuries. There was the Gift, that which his most hated enemy had possessed. There was the power over animals, something he had observed in the demigoddess and her offspring. But this power…

This was the power to control that which had been sealed for centuries. This was the power to rise above those pathetic people that had continually ruined his plans.

This was the power to topple the all-knowing gods from their marble thrones. The all-knowing deities…who had no idea what was about to hit them.

-CCS-

It had taken a lot of persuasion but finally Fujitaka had relented to let Sakura go outside and tend to her garden. In the spring it was planting, but now that summer was here it was time to weed. She had an ulterior motive for wanting to go out. It was true that she did need to pull up the strangling invaders in her garden but she also wanted Kero to be able to go outside. She didn't think _she'd _like being stuck in one room all day.

She'd smuggled the creature outside and now, watching him flutter about in the fresh air, she was glad that she had. He'd thanked her, too, for thinking of him. Perhaps she had imagined it but he seemed surprised that she wanted him to be comfortable, and he kept staring at her as she pulled up weeds. Finally she looked up from where she was kneeling in the dirt, propping her hands on her hips. Her breeches were brown to hide the signs of dirt, her shirt a pale pink that was smudged with mud and earth.

"What?" she asked. Kero blinked, looking surprised. Sakura's brow furrowed. Was he really so deep in thought that he hadn't realized he was staring? She gentled her tone. "Is something wrong, Kero? You've been awfully quiet since I brought you out here…" Those golden eyes averted. If she didn't know better, Sakura would almost swear that was guilt in the slump of his tiny shoulders. "Kero?"

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. There was a reason that he kept staring at Sakura – it was for the same reason that she had been able to touch him. He was recovered by now, despite what he'd told the girl. In reality he had needed to observe her. By now he was almost positive, but there was one final test to be sure. If it wasn't her, he could always wipe her memory and disappear, but the simple fact that she had been able to hold him was almost conclusive proof.

"It's nothing, Sakura. I'm just doing a lot of thinking," he assured her. She pursed her lips cutely, clearly wanting to object, but in the end she seemed to decide that it was none of her business and she went back to her weeding.

"If you say so, Kero," she said quietly. Kero felt a small pang of guilt – she really was a good kid. Did he really have the right to get her involved? But no; this was important, much more important than the comfort of one girl. The gods did not want to believe that anything was going on. Until they realized, Kero was on his own, but he needed the right person.

With Sakura now poring over something she had just pulled out of the ground, muttering about how it had nearly strangled her poor hydrangeas, Kero waved a paw. Usually his power came in flashy lights and large circles but this one was special – it was a spell that no one else, not even the gods, could use.

"I'll be right back, Sakura. I won't go far." When the girl looked up, opening her mouth, Kero hastily added, "I won't be seen. I just want to explore a little bit. I promise not to go far." He waited with baited breath as she appeared to deliberate before finally nodding reluctantly.

"Be careful," she warned the creature as it flew away. Shaking her head – Kero was so _strange_ sometimes – she continued tugging.

To her surprise, near the end of this row, when she tugged up a weed it didn't want to come out of the dirt. She blinked at it, clearly startled. Not only was it a weed she'd never seen before, but she'd never had a plant that actually _resisted_ being tugged out of the ground. With a sigh she released it and picked up her trowel to dig around it. She was further shocked when the roots were not even that deep, perhaps three or four inches beneath the surface. What was even stranger, though, was the fact that they were entangled around a flat, rectangular card that glinted red in the sun that hung low in the sky.

Finally managing to pull up the weed she extricated the card from the roots with difficulty, marveling at how clean it was. Having been buried in the dirt she would have expected it to be torn and filthy. Filling in the hole where it and the weed had been Sakura sat back to examine her find.

This card was embossed with golden corners and an equally shining border. There was also what looked like a complicated circle inscribed on it.

"How strange," she murmured, turning it over. Like the back, the front had a golden border, but this side depicted what looked like a pale, naked woman in a breeze. There was a word at the bottom, too, but it was written in Common, not Yamani. Like other children Sakura had been tutored, so she could read and speak Common, but not as well as a native. Her father spoke excellent Common, as did her brother.

Still, by working at it, she thought she could read this word. Reading it out loud helped a little.

"Win…er…lesse…" Okay, so it was a little harder than she had anticipated. Pursing her lips she tried again.

"Windy?" She was fairly certain that was right. Before she could contemplate further, though, the card began to shine in her hand. Her eyes grew large. A second later an enormous burst of wind kicked up around her ankles and whirled outward with enough force to briefly lift her off her feet. "Uwaah!" she yelped when she finally fell back onto her butt. Even the card had been yanked from her fingers with the force of the wind that was currently decimating her garden.

"Sakura!" That golden blur was Kero, streaking over to her. Sakura grabbed for him tearfully but he evaded her grip. "Listen," he yelled solemnly over the howling wind, drawing Sakura's attention. "I'm going to give you something and I want you to do exactly as I say!" Seeing her open her mouth Kero shook his head, large ears buffeted by the wind. "No! No questions; just do it! That wind has enough power to level a house! Now stand up!"

Clearly frightened but determined to try to fix what she'd just done Sakura struggled to her feet. She saw approval shining in those golden eyes as Kero began to speak.

"_Key that wields the power to Seal, reveal yourself to me_." A tiny orb of light began to shine in the air in front of Kero, growing in surface area with every word Kero spoke. "_To the girl who wishes a contract with you let the lock on the covenant break free_!" The sphere bulged, depressed, and solidified at a rapid rate until the general shape of a key topped by a bird-shaped head with white wings became visible.

"Release!"

As if the wind Sakura had called up was not enough, the key began to spin, kicking up a small dust cloud of its own, before it lengthened somewhat. Sakura looked at Kero, who nodded.

"Grab that staff, Sakura!" he ordered over the now-screeching wind. Swallowing her fear Sakura struggled forward, reaching out. Her fingers slid along the pink-tinted staff before finally managing to close around it. There was a triumphant gleam in Kero's eyes. "Now repeat after me! _Return to the guise you were meant to be in_!"

"_R-return to the guise you were meant to be in!"_ Sakura repeated, growing startled when the wind kicked up even more, this time rising above her head and sparing what remained of her garden before swirling and concentrating around the head of her staff. Kero said something else, which she repeated. "_Clow Card_!" On instinct she drove her staff downward. The blunt beak hit an invisible barrier and a rectangular patch of light shone in the air.

All of the wind swirled harder than ever before finally lowering in a rush to become entrapped in the card hovering in front of her. It stayed in the air until she reached out to take it. It stopped glowing and, with some surprise, Sakura examined the card in her hand. Turning it over, she found a golden seal-like circle inscribed on the back.

Come to think of it, a golden circle had radiated around her feet as she shouted that incantation after Kero. Sakura dropped to her knees and then onto her butt to sit in the dirt and stare at the card and staff in her hand.

"W…what just h-happened?" she asked out loud for the sake of saying something, anything. To her surprise Kero fluttered down in front of her, his expression entirely serious.

"You've been accepted by the key," he began simply, but then he stopped, turning, his ears twitching faintly. "Someone's coming," he warned. "Two horses down the road, headed this way." Sakura got to her feet and looked down at herself. She was covered in dirt, her bare feet were filthy, and there was grass, leaves, and twigs stuck in her braid.

She was also still holding the staff and the card but she had no idea what to do with them. She managed to shove the card down the front of her shirt before two horses rounded the bend in the road. Sakura recognized the riders immediately as the men who had come to her rescue yesterday.

Apparently they recognized her, too, because their horses slowed from a trot to walking and finally to a stop so that the men could dismount. Both of them were staring at her, causing a brilliant flush to rise to her cheeks. She could tell that they were looking at the staff in her hands, too, and she had the distinct feeling that she should keep the truth from them.

"…good day to you, my lady." That was the prince speaking. She listened for any hint of mockery in his tone but, to her relief, there was only cordiality. Sakura knelt and then bowed to the crown prince. Yesterday she'd been injured and delirious, far too out of her mind to observe proper etiquette, but today she knew what was expected.

"Your highness, my lord," she said quietly, wishing she could stop meeting them in such unlucky circumstances. "What brings you so far from Kanekura?" she queried politely. Highly polished boots came under her gaze, startling her almost as much as the cool fingers that slid under her chin to tip it upward. Her gaze was drawn immediately to eyes of the deepest indigo.

"There was a…disturbance that we felt coming from this direction," Eriol remarked, releasing the girl's chin. One eyebrow lifted slightly at her disheveled appearance and slid over her curved frame to rest on the staff in her hands. "…do you happen to know what happened?" Sakura swallowed and immediately started to bow again but Eriol would not let her look away.

"I…I couldn't say, my lord," she whispered. "Just a strong…um…a strong gust of wind." Syaoran, too, had come over to view the scene. His tone was a little more clipped and stern than Eriol's.

"What were you doing out here, miss? Shouldn't you be at home resting?" Sakura flinched a little, knuckles whitening from her grip on her staff.

"I came to tend my garden. I was pulling up the weeds, see, but then…" She hesitated. Lying to the crown prince and his advisor… Still, her instincts told her that telling anyone what had happened would be a bad idea. "…the wind came up really strong and blew everything around," she finished with real regret. Her garden had been completely destroyed by the power contained in that card.

"And that staff?" Syaoran pressed, noting that the girl turned a little pale with his question. "Where did you get it? A family heirloom?" he pressed. Sakura shook her head.

"I-I found it, your highness. Out in the woods not too long back; I like to walk through the woods to get here instead of taking the road, and I found it there… I thought it was pretty…" Eriol and Syaoran exchanged glances before Eriol, to Syaoran's surprise, let Sakura go and moved back over to his horse.

"Well, I suppose that means we were mistaken, your highness," he said calmly. Syaoran opened his mouth to speak but closed it at a look from his advisor. Figuring that Eriol had a reason – he always did – Syaoran, too, mounted his horse. "I'm sorry to have detained you, Miss Sakura," Eriol said smoothly. About to ask how he knew her name Sakura stopped, figuring that he must have gotten it from her father or brother. She bowed again.

"It…it was no trouble, my lord," she stammered. Syaoran sighed and leaned on his saddle horn, retrieving his horse's reigns as Eriol did the same.

"Do try to be getting home soon," he advised, noting the sun's position. "Your family will no doubt be worried." A pause. "And be careful with that staff… You never know what sorts of things you…find…out in the woods." Sakura flinched again, knowing that the two men didn't believe her story. Listening to the horses clop off, Sakura sat up.

If they hadn't believed her, though, why had they let her go? The prince had every right to drag her up before a magistrate if he suspected her of lying. He _was_ the crown prince, after all – his word would be enough to have any commoner killed. Still trembling slightly from her ordeal and encounter with the two men Sakura got slowly to her feet. Kero popped up from wherever he'd been hiding. Noting how the girl shook Kero placed a paw against her forehead. He was unsurprised to find that she was a little warm.

"Come on, Sakura… We should get back home before they begin to worry…" Sakura drew a breath, trying to compose herself. She would be happy to get a bath, too.

"Can I make this staff not so…noticeable?" she asked Kero, who nodded.

"Use your will," he explained. "If you will it to go back to its key form, it'll go back to that shape. You are its owner now." Sakura concentrated on the form she had seen, closing her eyes to better visualize it. When she opened them again she was holding the small key in her hand. She noticed, too, that there was a small loop in it that a chain might be able to pass through. Kero nodded at the key. "You should keep that key with you, and that card. They will be very important to you, because you are their mistress now."

Somewhat dazed by these rapid proceedings Sakura could only nod and tuck the key into her pocket.

-CCS-

As she'd expected when Sakura got home and her brother saw the state she was in he demanded an explanation. Sakura gave him a truncated version of events, leaving out the staff, the card, and her encounter with Eriol and Syaoran. From his expression she could tell he suspected she wasn't giving him the whole story but he didn't seem to want to press the issue.

"The maids have a bath waiting on you, Sakura. Go clean up." Happy to be let off the hook so easily Sakura nodded and hurried away to drop Kero, the card, and the key off in her room before going to her bath.

Kero fluttered over to her window and looked out, noting that the moon was nearly full. He breathed a sigh, his gaze sad. Events were proceeding at a rate that even _he_ could not have foreseen.

"Clow…" he murmured somewhat gloomily. There was so much going on here, so much that he needed to tell Sakura, and yet he could not. She was not ready for all of that information, for the stories and legends. She was not yet ready to know that the very gods' survival would depend on her.

She was not ready to know of the monumental task that had been set before her without her consent, that she had been chosen by fate to wield that staff.

How could she be ready to know that there was a man out there who would come to desire her not only for her awakening power but for his purposes of vengeance?

Life was not fair to her, could not be fair to her, because destiny had given her a hard path to walk.

Kero was here for her, though. He would make sure his young mistress was as prepared as she could be when the time came for her to know. She was strong – he could feel it, had felt it in the spell she'd released. The strength of the wind came from the power lying dormant inside, a power of bright light and purity.

She would be fine.

She _had_ to be.

-CCS-

_Thus concludes chapter two._

_Word count: 4,568_

_-AkizukiSakura_


	4. Repercussions

**Title: **_Legend_ (_formerly _Pirates)  
**Author: **_AkizukiSakura  
_**Series: **_Cardcaptor Sakura  
_**Genre: **_Romance/Adventure/Fantasy  
_**Rating: **_M/R  
_**Pairing(s): **_Sakura/Eriol  
_**Spoilers/Warnings: **_None  
_**Disclaimer: **_Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by the esteemed CLAMP and all subsequent copyrights. I claim no ownership of this series, nor do I make monetary profit from the writing of this story. Similarly, the realms of Tortall et all belong to Tamora Pierce.  
_**Summary: **_Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. It was the beginning of a long journey. Now she must travel throughout the realms to right the wrongs caused by this new power and face her enemy.  
_**Notes: **_There's a hint of Garth Nix in this chapter. Not much, but a little. A cookie to anyone who spots it!_

-CCS-

**Chapter 3: **_Repercussions_

What had her father wished to tell her? On her way back from the bath her father had seen her and, with the strangest expression on his face, he'd told her that, come the next morning, he wanted to speak with her and that there was something important she should know. He even apologized for making her wait so long but, he explained, he needed time to organize everything in his head.

Then he'd given her an expressive hug that lasted for several moments before he released her with a smile that was a little sad and sent her on her way. Sakura could not pretend to be disinterested in what her father had to say, nor could she hide her worry.

Her feelings were only compounded when she returned to her room and found Kero sitting at her window and gazing out at the moon with a heartbreakingly sad expression on his furry features. Sakura had immediately gone over and gathered him into her arms, holding him close. She could tell that she had startled him but also that he was glad she had noticed his melancholy mood.

He'd fallen asleep in her arms not too much longer after she'd begun to sing a lullaby to him. It was one that her father used to sing to her when she was little and would have trouble sleeping because of the nightmares – even back then she had not been able to remember them; she'd only known that they were _bad_. Though she was not tired – her father's words were still fresh on her mind, driving away any desire to sleep she might have had – Sakura laid out her futon and blanket. She had also obtained a sheet and a square bit of cloth from the maids. The sheet she folded into a small square for Kero to lie on and then she draped the cloth over him. For a moment she stared down at Kero, a small, somewhat sad smile on her plush lips.

Sakura would have had no trouble sharing her futon with the small winged creature but, knowing how restlessly she slept, she didn't want to accidentally smother him in the middle of the night. With the sleeping Kero tucked away Sakura slid under her blanket and closed her eyes.

That night sleep was a long time in coming, given the vast multitude of thoughts swirling about in her mind, but eventually she drifted off shortly before midnight.

A strange scent woke her not even an hour later. She sat up quickly to find that Kero, too, was awake, his amber gaze glinting in the moonlight. He sniffed the air, trying to decide what he was smelling. Finally he took to hovering, wings flapping only occasionally, suggesting that his method of flight was magical as well as physical.

"It's smoke," he clarified finally once he was sure what it was. "Not the controlled smoke of wood from a fire, either – it is the mixed scent of an out-of-control fire." A mixed scent… Kero could smell the cloth of the tapestries and the scorching of the plants Sakura kept around the house, as well as the dry smell of wood smoke from the walls and the acrid scent of burning cloth-paper from the doors to each room.

It was then that Sakura noticed the heat permeating her room. While it was indeed June, and the islands were hot during the summer, this heat was different – dryer, more menacing somehow... Sakura shot to her feet and stalked over to her door. Pushing the paper door aside she was confronted with the tell-tale flicker of orange off the walls of the stairwell. Her mouth went dry.

A moment later a hand dropped onto her shoulder. She screeched and spun in fear only to find that it was a disheveled Touya.

"Big brother," she said weakly. He did not speak just yet, instead pulling her back down the hall and into her room.

"You need to get out of here," he said. "I'm going to lower you from your window onto the walkway of the outer wall. I want you to run to the nearest stairs and out through the gate."

"But–" she began to protest, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Kero had slipped out of the window already. Touya put a finger to her lips to forestall her argument.

"No! No buts! I'm going to go wake up father and try to get everyone out. I don't want to have to worry about you, too. _Do you understand me_, _Sakura?_" Her big brother only used that tone with her when he was truly worried and afraid. Sakura swallowed hard and nodded. Without waiting for her to change her mind Touya tugged his little sister over to the window and waited for her to slide onto the sill.

"Just trust me," he whispered to her. Gulping down her fear Sakura nodded and turned so that Touya could clasp her hands and push her out of the window. She dropped three feet before her brother's grip caught her. Dangling several feet over the wall-walk Sakura looked up at her brother, her eyes jade in her fear. "I'm going to let go," he warned. "Do exactly as I said!" He waited for her to nod before he shifted her outward and let go.

Her landing jarred her feet and ankles enough to cause her to drop to her knees but she immediately pushed herself back up and looked for her brother. He had stayed long enough to make sure she had landed all right before vanishing back inside. Kero popped up on her right, grabbing her braid and tugging.

"Sakura, let's go!" he said sharply, breaking through her paralysis. Hurriedly she stumbled off down the wall and then the stairs closest to the gate. She had the bar off and the gates pushed open before she actually turned back to see her home. Her gasp was lost in the snapping and crackling of the flames that had already consumed the first floor and were already licking up the sides of the second. Her home, like many awarded from the emperor, was of the traditional design and not recently built. Almost the entire construct was made of wood and it had been an exceptionally dry summer. With paper doors and little stonework in the entire structure Sakura had no doubts that her father's estate would not survive this fire.

She didn't care about the house, though. She didn't care about the futon she slept on or the kitchen they cooked in. Maybe her father would miss his books, maybe her brother would miss his scrolls and notes, but all Sakura wanted now was to know that her family was going to be okay.

Sakura backed out of the gates, her gaze sharp as she searched for her brother, for anyone, exiting the house.

She didn't even notice the sound of horse hooves clopping hurriedly up the road because she was so intent on her house. Even though deep down she knew it was too late, she watched and watched. It was only when the roof caved in and the second floor dropped into the first that she was forced to face reality.

The sound of whistling made her tear her gaze from her burning home, tears already sliding down her cheeks. She wasn't even sure how long she'd been crying now, only that the tears would not stop. The whistling came from the pursed lips of a dark-haired, blue-eyed man who had just dismounted from his horse. As always, Sakura recognized Eriol, the firelight glinting off his determined eyes. She realized a moment later that he was performing a weather-working spell. She knew he had the Gift – the air was sparkling blue around him in the telltale signs of magic – but this method of working spells was one that was guarded almost jealously by the imperial family. Only those privileged enough by the emperor were allowed to learn this kind of magic.

Under any other circumstances Sakura would have been fascinated by what Eriol was doing. Even now, without concentrating, she could see the whorls of magic rising to the sky to draw moisture into clouds. It wasn't the same as seeing the glitter of magic at his fingertips – Sakura knew everyone could see that – but it was still fascinating to watch, even if only she could see magic like this.

At the moment, though, Sakura could care less about the method of magic he was using or about the prince who had yet to dismount from his horse, green fires sparkling at his palms and spreading in a swift arc to contain the fire. Even the sudden downpour of rain in heavy, harsh turrets could not tear her thoughts from her family, trapped inside, or her home, the only one she'd ever known. Only when the flames were completely out did Eriol stop whistling – the rain slackened to a drizzle, then a mist, and was finally gone, leaving the sky serene and the crescent of the moon shining cleanly over the landscape once more.

Reason and sense left her. Sakura knew that the building would be dangerous and unstable now but it didn't stop her from breaking into a run, tears streaming from her green eyes and cast uncaring into the air. It didn't matter that the structure was unsound, that the chances of her family surviving were less than plausible.

"Father! Big brother!" She was shouting now as she cried, wanting to believe that her family had somehow survived, that if she screamed loud enough, cried enough tears, that they would be okay.

"No!" Syaoran cried out, his voice sharp in the sudden calm. "It's dangerous, don't–!" Syaoran started to dismount but Eriol got there first. With a speed that was almost unnatural he caught up to the girl and locked his arms around her waist, dragging her kicking and struggling form back through the gate and out of danger.

It was not a moment too soon because under her glassy green gaze the building gave a sudden groan, as though it had given up trying to stand, and collapsed slowly in upon itself. Wood went flying, one piece even managing to score a long gash in Sakura's arm through the thin silk of her nighttime yukata – the pale pink material surrounding the tear began to darken as blood welled up from the ragged wound.

"Miss Sakura, Miss Sakura, you need to calm – if you don't stop I'm going to have to – it's _dangerous_, you can't just – oh, _Mithros_, forgive me for this…!" Still holding her around the waist with one arm Eriol raised the other hand to the girl's temple, blue fires sparkling at his fingertips. A moment later the sobbing, nearly hyperventilating girl collapsed forward – only his arms kept her off the ground; her eyes closed and her breathing calming. Tears shimmered on her golden cheeks in the moonlight playing hide-and-seek behind the clouds of smoke dissipating into the atmosphere. Eriol breathed a sigh as Syaoran ran up; the prince glanced at Sakura.

"A sleeping spell?" he inquired of Eriol, who nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. The weather-working spell was quite a drain on his power and Sakura was fairly strong, enough that he had to work to keep her from breaking free. She'd even managed to fight his sleeping spell with more vigor than he thought an un-Gifted human could posses. Eriol stared down at the sleeping girl.

"What now?" he sighed aloud and, though it was a rhetorical question, to his surprise someone answered him.

"Now the journey begins." Both Syaoran and Eriol immediately took defensive stances, green and blue magic shining at their fingers, respectively. There was a snort and Kero hove into view. "Don't even try it, mortals. You won't get far." Eriol was the first to recognize the creature as the one Sakura had saved. He lowered the hand that was glowing and instead shifted his spell to conjure light rather than aggressive power.

"What journey?" asked Syaoran suspiciously. The crown prince of _anywhere_ did not stay alive by trusting anything and everything that came his way, especially little golden bears with wings. To his shock the little creature did not seem angered, only amused.

"The journey of legend, kid," he answered, bringing a scowl to Syaoran's lips. He was no _child_. Noticing Syaoran's scowl Kero grinned faintly before his gaze fell on the unconscious Sakura. His golden gaze softened in guilt, but what could he have done? This _needed_ to happen. He was sorry for her family and for Sakura, but he also could not pretend that he was not a little relieved.

Family could tie a person down in more ways than one and rarely was it a good thing. Noting that now Eriol was scrutinizing him Kero smiled faintly. Ah, so while the prince was ignorant of this legend the advisor was not. It was unsurprising, really, considering that this particular legend was not only obscure but it was also hidden away in a wing of the Yamani palace that very few came across. As advisor, though, and general guard of the prince it was expected that Eriol was well-informed. Kero wouldn't be surprised if Eriol knew more about the palace than the emperor.

To forestall the questions he knew would soon be coming Kero motioned to Sakura.

"Perhaps she should be somewhere else right now?" he suggested almost dryly. "Whoever did this probably doesn't want a witness after all. Even if she saw nothing the culprit might want her dead just to be sure." Kero was pleased when Eriol and Syaoran exchanged glances and nodded, less so when green fire wrapped around his tiny waist. Kero gaped at Syaoran, who only frowned.

"Maybe you can break my spell, but if your intentions are good you can leave it where it is and come with us," the prince said simply, holding the end of the burning green leash. His brown gaze lacked any sort of warmth at all, but Kero only sighed at him.

"All right, kid… I guess. But," he began, looking between the two men, "if you care about her at all you will see that she is taken care of first." He knew Syaoran would simply because, pompous prince or no, Kero could tell that he did care for his people. And Eriol would go along with him just because Syaoran was the prince. Only when Syaoran nodded and took Sakura so that Eriol could mount his horse did Kero relax fractionally. With Eriol situated on his horse he accepted Sakura back, settling her with a strange degree of tenderness in front of him on his horse.

Since Syaoran didn't seem inclined to release his magical leash anytime soon, Kero perched on the prince's shoulder as they set off. It was a relief to the golden bear when he didn't have to warn them not to go into the capital by way of a main gate. Especially because he was the prince Kero knew that Syaoran should not be connected in any way to what had transpired this night, not until Sakura had woken and the events had been properly aligned.

Kero looked up at the moon as they rode, his expression turning misty.

-CCS-

It was not such a difficult endeavor to finally have Sakura settled into a wing of the palace that was not so near to others that she would run into them, but it was also not too far from Eriol's rooms if he used some of the older passages as shortcuts.

With the unconscious girl left to sleep a spell was placed in her general vicinity to alert Eriol and Syaoran to her awakening, but since she had fought his spell Eriol had been forced to use a stronger version of the sleep – as such, she would sleep longer than if he'd been allowed to use the weaker form.

Syaoran had duties to attend to – being the Crown prince, he had once commented dryly to Eriol, was like being the chief auctioneer at a slave market. Without him, it seemed, nothing could get done. Most of the realms in and around the Emerald Ocean had discontinued the use of slavery – even Carthak and the Copper Islands, both notorious for slavery, had cracked down a few decades back. They allowed no new slaves to be sold, but they could not free the ones already in servitude because it would cripple their economies.

Being a prompt individual, Eriol had finished most of his important tasks before he and the prince had left for their pleasure jaunt through the city during the festival. As such, he had a great deal more time than Syaoran did to ponder the mystery that was Miss Sakura.

For one, he had never seen an unGifted human resist a spell from anyone that was a mage of the caliber that he was. Eriol was not bragging, either – he was one of the strongest mages in the realm. Certainly he was the strongest in the Yamani Islands, hence his rather elaborate, prestigious title. Being a childhood friend of the prince had helped, but there was no way Empress Yulan would accept anything less than the best for the only heir to the throne.

Syaoran had sisters – four of them – but though they could certainly inherit, by Yamani law a male child, however young, took precedence over any number of females. His sisters, luckily enough, were content in their happiness to host gatherings and to take care of the aesthetics of the palace and Islands, leaving foreign and domestic policy to their brother and his advisor.

Even more than Sakura's ability to throw off the milder version of his spell, though, were the staff and card she had managed to 'find'. Eriol did not believe her story – for story it was – but he had chosen, wisely, to avoid questioning her so soon. From her disheveled appearance when he and Syaoran had found her out in the fields it was clear she had only just found the two powerful artifacts.

Then there was the small, winged animal that Sakura had saved from Bludwin and his tiny trio of thieves. Not only had she been able to touch the creature – legend said that only a select few could touch him without his permission – but Bludwin had seemed inexplicably dense that day, more so than usual. His eyes, too, had been different. They were not the correct shade of brown – they were almost black, really – and they lacked the right depth of emotion.

It was a phenomenon that Eriol had never seen, had never even heard of, and as such he'd been unable to discern just what was happening. Certainly, though, the interest in maiming the creature and killing Sakura was present. It was odd too, though, that while Bludwin was not an honorable citizen in any way, somehow he had never been a murderer, and neither had his cohorts. Something strange was certainly going on in the Islands and Eriol could not help but think that Sakura was somehow connected to it all, just as he had a nagging suspicion lingering in the back of his mind from some of the numerous myths he'd read.

This would explain why Eriol was in the Old Library, as he had dubbed it, with the fading sunlight providing just enough light for him to accurately aim his magic to light each of the candles, bringing the room into flickering, illuminated relief. It had been some time since his last visit, that being nearly a year ago, but as Eriol was fairly certain that only he knew of this place in the oldest wing of the palace, he was unsurprised to find that the only thing to change was the dust caked over the books once more.

He could not remember precisely where in this library he had found the scrolls he was currently looking for. This particular legend had come about before books had been written – really before scrolls, too – but had at least been transcribed from whatever medium of education they had been discovered upon, such as a cave drawing or a stone tablet. He had planned to help consolidate this library to share with the rest of the Islands, but as of yet the opportunity and time to do so had not been presented to him. Rarely did Eriol regret his position as the prince's advisor, but in situations like this he could hardly be reprimanded for his impatience and his desires.

It was as he was sitting down at a table, an armful of promising scrolls clasped firmly to his torso, that the sound of small wings caught his attention. Eriol looked up in surprise – there were no windows open to allow birds to come in – and his gaze was caught by sharp amber.

Kero, it seemed, had followed the prince's advisor and, from the creature's expression, Eriol might not need to find that scroll after all. For a moment they only stared at each other, but finally Kero sighed and fluttered over to the table. He settled on the wooden surface, tiny arms crossing over his furry chest as he peered up at Eriol. His gaze was calculating and contemplative – it felt to Eriol like Kero was stripping his very soul bare.

Surprisingly it was Kero who broke the silence first and his question was unexpected.

"How did you become the advisor to the crown prince?"

Eriol made no effort to hide the surprise he knew was written all over his pale features. Though he was always careful to maintain a political façade of cool detachment, in this instance he supposed it would be best to openly express all of his emotions – especially to a creature that had so easily referred to Eriol and the prince as _mortals_. It was true that they were – humans by nature were mortal beings – but it equally meant that Kero was some form of immortal, one that even the well-read Eriol was having trouble identifying.

Eriol sat up a little straighter in his chair and let his hands clasp neatly atop the table. He offered Kero a small, nearly dry smile in recognition of the small beast's obvious intelligence.

"I suppose that one could easily say it was luck," he said softly, to Kero's obvious surprise. "When we were children we were not friends at all." Eriol chuckled softly as his mind called up the appropriate memories. "We were rivals in magic, rivals in physical prowess… I always surpassed him with ease." He noticed that Kero was watching him in curiosity, clearly waiting for more of the story. Eriol shook his head. "It was luck that brought us to be friends rather than rivals, though we still compete occasionally… He was the one who suggested that I become his advisor when we were thirteen. The Empress agreed."

It was a highly truncated version of events but, strangely, it seemed to satiate Kero's desire for background knowledge, at least for now. Silence settled between the two of them for several minutes – Eriol examined a scroll and Kero sat, lost in thought. Once again it was the small golden creature that spoke up.

"You know she is important." Eriol did not need three guesses to decide who Kero was speaking of and the advisor nodded his head slowly, setting his scroll aside again to give the winged immortal his attention. Kero sighed. "If you're waiting for me to give you information, you're going to be waiting a long time." He ignored the faint disappointment gracing Eriol's features, his serious gaze lifting to make sure Eriol could see his eyes.

"She is _very_ important," he stressed, getting to his hind paws, tail swishing. "She is not meant to stay here. That card worked for her for a reason. The Staff obeys only those It recognizes. Evil is amassing in ways it has not since the Old Ones." Kero shook his head on a sigh. "You must make a decision, young advisor – you and the crown prince. When destiny comes visiting, will you entertain your guest?" Kero wanted to know. Seeing the pensive expression on the young advisor's face Kero nodded in satisfaction.

For today, his work was done.

-CCS-

_As much as I regret doing it, this chapter is shorter than the previous ones by at least a page – it bothers me, but everything that comes after is too long to put in this chapter. I'm also still trying to organize all of my thoughts, which makes it a little difficult to continue writing to my usually high standards._

_That aside, just thinking about it, this story is either going to be really long, or really short – I'm not really sure which yet. There's a whole lot of potential here to be developed; I'm just not certain I have to skill to develop it._

_I'm fairly sure I made the villain a little too obvious but, c'est la vie. I don't feel quite as bad about that as I should, all things considered. I keep trying to rush things – there was supposed to be a whole flashback scene in here, but I decided to wait, hence the truncated chapter._

_And I think a lot of people are going to hate me for Fujitaka and Touya – sorry! It was something that had to happen. Don't stone me? Please? –Cowers– _

_Interestingly enough, I thought I had uploaded this chapter when I finished it a month ago! Sorry!_

_For now, though, that's the end of this chapter._

_Word count: 4,511_

_Ciao!_

_-AkizukiSakura_


	5. Attack

**Title: **_Legend_ (_formerly _Pirates)  
**Author: **_AkizukiSakura  
_**Series: **_Cardcaptor Sakura  
_**Genre: **_Romance/Adventure/Fantasy  
_**Rating: **_M/R  
_**Pairing(s): **_Sakura/Eriol  
_**Spoilers/Warnings: **_None  
_**Disclaimer: **_Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by the esteemed CLAMP and all subsequent copyrights. I claim no ownership of this series, nor do I make monetary profit from the writing of this story. Similarly, the realms of Tortall et al belong to Tamora Pierce.  
_**Summary: **_Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. It was the beginning of a long journey. Now she must travel throughout the realms to right the wrongs caused by this new power and face her enemy.  
_**Comments: **_Listening to the soundtrack from the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie while writing a CCS fanfiction is…interesting. The original Japanese soundtrack from the original Japanese series is awesome, though._

-CCS-

**Chapter 4: **_Attack_

She awoke feeling like there was a brick resting upon her chest – the heaviness in her heart was unparalleled to anything she had ever felt before. It twisted painfully with each reminder that her small family was gone and it choked the breath harshly from her lungs, drawing the air from her body in quick, panting gasps.

Sakura did not like to cry. She did not like the reminder that she could be so weak. She tried to be strong and cheerful for everyone, tried to smile whenever something happened so that she could soothe everyone. She was the calm heart and tender care whenever something went wrong. But now… Now who was here to be the shoulder she could cry upon?

The sunlight streaming into her room was in the amber shades of sunset, suggesting that she had slept the entire day away, and yet she was not even close to feeling refreshed. The spell was only just leaving her system, prompting her senses into groggy wakefulness, but if this was her life now she did not ever want to wake up. First her mother, now her father and brother…

What was she supposed to do now? How could she live, knowing that her brother had sacrificed his life to ensure hers? How could she carry on and smile when neither her big brother nor her kind father would be able to smile back at her? There would be no more wicked teasing from Touya, no more gentle love from Fujitaka…

Sakura turned onto her side and buried her face in the pillow – the imperial family used Eastern-style beds in the guest rooms for foreign dignitaries – and yanked the blankets over her face in an effort to stifle the sniffles.

No, she would not cry. She would be strong for her brother and father, for the household servants that stayed in the building. She could not lie in bed and waste away because she was not strong enough to get up. She would not fall to this – she _wouldn't_!

Thrusting the blankets away Sakura sat up, placing her feet on the floor. She was still dressed in her pink nightdress and there was still a long tear in her sleeve where she'd been cut by that spar of wood but the skin underneath was unmarred. Someone must have healed her. The feeling that lingered was cool and calculating, a distinctly blue feeling. Her healer had to have been Eriol again. Was he tired of having to take care of her? He'd knocked her out, too, she remembered, had been her temporary common sense when she tried to run back into the building.

Sakura took a steadying breath and looked around. Immediately she noted the rich taste prevalent in this room, from the sheer silk curtains draped around her bed to the satin sheets caressing her skin and the silk paintings hanging on the walls. The taste was decidedly Eastern with a Yamani twist – it had to be for the bed to fit with the aesthetics of the room. There were three doors in this room. One was set into the large, arched window hung with sheer curtains that matched the ones on her bed; it led to a balcony that overlooked a relatively small garden.

The other two doors were similar to the ones that had been in her room. One was a sliding paper door that probably led into the hallway and the other was really just a door frame. Getting up to investigate she found herself in a room that had obviously required a lot of magic to create.

Rather than a typical privy, stepping into this room was like walking up to a hot spring. The air was scented heavily with cherry blossoms from a perpetually-blooming tree that consistently dumped pink petals into the steaming water. She would have been reluctant to try bathing here but she noticed a stone bench set inside a small pagoda with a bundle of cloth resting on top of it. Approaching it she stepped into the veranda and found a note attached to the cloth. It was short and simple and bid her enjoy a bath. Closer examination of the cloth showed it to be a folded set of kimono sitting atop a plush towel with matching slippers placed beside the pile.

Well, with permission given, albeit in an unorthodox manner…

Sakura turned back to the steaming water and reached behind her to let down her hair and unfasten her nightdress. Slipping into the heated water was like heaven on her muscles and the scents wreathing her head helped to calm her erratic thoughts. She could tell various salts had been dissolved into the water, too, and on a rocky island in the center of the pool several small bottles of various bathing cosmetics were placed, the contents all scented lightly of jasmine and roses.

She was in the process of working one of the lotions into a rich lather in her hair when she felt someone watching her. She looked up to find that Kero was perched on the rock, his amber gaze sorrowful but clearly approving seeing that she had chosen not to mope. Sakura rinsed her hair and then opened her arms; sensing what she wanted Kero flew into them, letting the distraught young woman cuddle him close. To his surprise she did not dissolve into tears. She simply held him tightly with her eyes closed, obviously trying to master her emotions.

-CCS-

After his short talk with Kero had turned up nothing new, Eriol had resolved himself to digging through even more half-decayed scrolls and broken tablets if he wished to unearth any further information on the half-remembered myths and hazy legends slowly churning in his mind. To his absolute frustration anything that came even remotely close to describing what _journey_ Kero had mentioned ended up tapering off.

The most he was able to gather was that a vast multitude of the known cultures were too afraid to even recount the tale for fear it "would bring calamity once more". Eriol had given up in disgust after close to six hours of research, pulling his glasses off with a sigh and rubbing his temples. Normally he had nothing against other humans but sometimes their irrationality was such a hindrance! Honestly, these people worried about the return of calamity but, obviously, they'd known the signs and been able to quell them. Was it too much to ask that they leave written records for future generations to be prepared?

With nothing better to do he got to his feet, intent on taking a long bath and then checking on Sakura. If she was awake he'd summon the maids to bring dinner and maybe she'd eat with him. He wanted to know more about the staff that she happened to _find_; perhaps this time she'd even be gracious enough to gift him with the truth. He knew she was hiding something from him. It had always been a gift of his to know when he was being lied to, which was one of the reasons that Syaoran usually trusted his intuition.

And so Eriol had taken a bath that had soothed his headache. His bathing room bore the surroundings of a simple sun-warmed pond located deep within a jungle with an ivy-claimed stone temple in the background. He was proud to have been the one to think up themed rooms like this and had made one for him, the imperial family, and a few of the guest rooms for when they were entertaining foreign dignitaries. Other areas, such as Carthak, had rooms like these, but they required an extraordinary amount of magic to sustain. Eriol had been the one to come up with the idea of utilizing the magical properties of black opals and fire opals – both varieties stored enormous amounts of power and both were known to absorb magic in the air at a constant rate, making them the ideal source of magic for large spells.

Freshly cleaned and feeling much more alert Eriol had taken those shortcut routes to the room allotted to Sakura. His spell hadn't gone off to alert him to her awakening so he, expecting her to still be asleep, very quietly pushed open the paper door and glanced inside; he opened it further in surprise when he found the bed empty. He moved over to the bed and found that his spell had somehow unraveled and vanished with only a trace of its power left behind.

How peculiar.

His attention shifted to the balcony door, which was still closed and locked, so he doubted she would have gone out through there. Maybe she left the room? He'd check the bathing room first, though he did not expect her to be there. A young woman who'd just lost her family and awoken in a strange and unfamiliar place surely wouldn't decide to take a bath.

He peeked into the room – this one his favorite besides the setting of his own – and promptly forgot why he'd come in the first place when his gaze landed upon the girl standing in the water. It was only lucky for her that the steam writhing about was somewhat thick and that the water sloshed gently about her hips that he saw nothing too explicit but even what he saw was enough to bring a blush to his usually pale complexion. With her hair hanging to the small of her back – unbound for once – the steam curling the honeyed strands close to her skin, and the water and steam clinging to her golden skin, her appearance was somehow more ethereal than even the rare water or tree sprite Eriol had happened to glimpse.

Hastily he backed away from the door, smoothing his hair from his eyes as he tried to calm his turbulent reaction to seeing a naked woman bathing. Well, that hadn't been his intention, but now that he knew she was awake he'd go see the maids about preparing a meal for them. He slipped out of her room and was soon off down the hall. Even preoccupied with her surreal appearance in the hot spring-style bath, though, Eriol had to wonder: What had happened to his spell?

-CCS-

Syaoran usually did not care for petty court. In fact, he only attended because his mother had ordered him to do so in preparation for the day when he would finally ascend the throne and then he'd have much bigger headaches to deal with. As much as he wanted to protest that one of his sisters could easily sit here and judge, he knew better than to speak out against his mother's decisions. There was also the not-so-minor detail that his sisters, while intelligent, were much too softhearted to do something like this, for it required ruling with one's heart rather than one's mind.

Still, his russet gaze was bored as he oversaw a dispute between a shopkeeper and his neighbor about where the actual boundary of their plot of land was. Apparently the neighbor was erecting tables and awnings outside his shop to display more goods and, according to the plaintiff, it was cutting into his land, too. Syaoran interrupted what sounded like a very impassioned speech, surprising those gathered.

"Do you have the deed to your land with you?" he asked the accuser, who blinked and then produced a sealed scroll. One of the guards took it and brought it to Syaoran, who broke the wax seal and examined the document critically. "All right… Here is the easy solution." He gestured to the same guard who had brought him the scroll and gave it back to him. "Escort these two shopkeepers back to their shops and examine the awnings and tables to see if they cross the boundary listed in that deed. If they aren't up, use the depressions in the earth from where the poled had been impaled into the ground to figure it out." The bailiff looked decidedly nervous as the guard indicated for both of them to bow and all three men departed. The only good thing about this case, as far as Syaoran was concerned, was that it was the last.

_This_ was why he hated petty court – the cases were just that: Petty! His mother sat judgment upon the important cases, those dealing with murder, treason, and theft on a grander scale. This was just for practice, she told him. And, really, he honored and respected his level-headed mother for her intelligence and her iron way of maneuvering everyone, including him – there was a reason Empress Yelan was considered one of the shrewdest generals even against others from the Eastern and Southern lands like Tortall and Carthak.

At the moment, though, Syaoran allowed himself to sink back in his throne and rub his temple beneath his silver crown irately. He knew that it was because of one person in particular that he was triply irritated at the moment and they barely knew each other! He _wanted_ to know about the girl he and Eriol had managed to bring back to the palace without his mother's knowledge. No one knew about her being here in the palace except a few of the maids – something that Eriol had informed him was necessary.

Syaoran knew that Sakura thought the fire had been unintentional but both he and Eriol were well aware that it had not been an accident at all. After bringing the unconscious Sakura to the palace and making sure she was tucked into a bed in one of the guest rooms he and his advisor had gone back to the ruins of her home to examine it before anyone else had time to come out and gawp. They found traces of spells that had not been incinerated in the blaze, spells to keep a fire burning long and hot.

No wonder his advisor had performed his spell in _that_ way rather than applying the usual spells – they would have been ineffective against the harsh fire spells laid on the house. Not only did this prove problematic for Syaoran – at the very least there was an arsonist loose – it also caused the strangest expression to cross Eriol's face when he was finally able to decide what those spells were. If Syaoran didn't know any better he might have suspected his advisor was worried.

Of course, as soon as they'd returned, Eriol had vanished as he was prone to do and, because Syaoran had duties to attend to that he'd skipped out on he was unable to follow after his advisor as he wanted. He'd lost four hours to lessons from his tutors, who had given him double sessions to make up for the ones he'd missed, and another hour to petty court. Now that he was free for the day it had taken him yet another hour to finally find his advisor, who was looking strangely flushed.

Trying to question Eriol only distracted his friend from what he was telling the cook and maid and earned him a gesture to _be quiet_ until he finished talking. Anyone else who did that to the crown prince would have lost their hand but Syaoran tolerated it from Eriol – barely. Finally the pale youth turned to his prince but even then all Syaoran was able to extricate from him – through the drawn-out process of dancing around everything important to get Eriol to give him the answer he _really_ wanted – was that Sakura was awake and Eriol was going to try to talk to her. By that time the maid had come over, pushing a trolley laden with food, and Eriol left Syaoran to mutter his annoyance over smug sorcerers and their short attention spans.

In the end he decided to visit the imperial libraries. He was no scholar – not to the extent that Eriol was – but he could certainly try to find _something_ at least, right?

-CCS-

It did not take Sakura long to calm her turbulent emotions and she settled Kero on the rock next to the prettily-carved bottles, drawing a steadying breath.

"Thank you," she said after a silent struggle to make sure her voice would come out normal. He offered her a small smile in return and handed her another bottle for her hair. She wasn't familiar with its use but, trusting the winged creature, she smoothed the lotion through her hair. To her surprise and pleasure when she rinsed it out her hair felt lighter, smoother, and the tangles had come undone to reveal hair that was slightly darker than its usual honey shade due to it being damp.

She spared another few minutes the wash herself thoroughly before she made her way back to the pagoda to dry herself and dress in the kimono, layering them properly and tucking her feet into the pretty slippers. The outer kimono was pale pink dusted with embroidered green leaves and the inner was a dark green to match the shade of the leaves, gold borders showing through from under the top kimono. Her slippers were pink, too, trimmed in green and gold, and both garments were made of costly silk. To her surprise her nightdress had vanished and there was now a comb carved from a shell sitting on the bench. She picked it up and combed her hair as she walked back to the bedroom. As she sat on the bed and kept combing she realized that the spell on the comb was drying her hair, too, and it never looked so smooth and shiny before.

The imperial palace had money and magic to spare then, it seemed, and while Sakura had not come from a poor family even _she_ was unused to the plethora of wealth that almost visibly saturated the air around her.

She looked up when someone tapped on the wall by her closed door, surprise lighting her green eyes. Should she answer? What if she wasn't supposed to be here? The note had suggested she was, but…

"Miss Sakura?"

She relaxed. She knew that voice very well by now after having been healed by its owner several times.

"Come in, Lord Hiiragizawa," she said loudly enough for him to hear, slipping to the floor and then into a bow as the door slid open. She heard the sound of wheels before Eriol spoke up, sounding somewhat exasperated.

"There's no need to do all that right now, Miss Sakura… You'll wear yourself out very quickly." He could tell that he'd shocked her for her figure went quite stiff before she hesitantly sat up, glancing at him as though wary of a reprimand. Hiding a smile at her sudden timidity he gestured to one of the chairs sitting at the table near the window. "I brought dinner…and hoped that you wouldn't mind if I joined you. I've been reading all day and would enjoy the company."

He watched her get slowly to her feet, kimono falling gracefully back to the floor, and move over to the indicated chair in small, ladylike steps. So, she'd been taught etiquette; she was just of the same mind as many of the younger adults now that wanted to be more open with their thoughts and affection like the Easterners. She did not sit down until he did and made it a point to set the table, giving him a dry look every time he tried to help and startling a chuckle out of the advisor.

"You don't have to be so formal, Miss Sakura… I won't bite you, and I know you aren't usually like this. It would please me greatly if you would relax a little." He expected a meek reply that she would do as he asked, or maybe a bow, but Sakura surprised him again by meeting his gaze firmly as she sat down.

"Only if you stop calling me 'miss', my lord," she stipulated, pleased when Eriol gave her a slight smile and began uncovering dishes of rice, various soups, and different seafood entrees. He motioned for her to serve herself as he did the same.

"Very well, Sakura. May I ask how you are feeling?" he inquired delicately. From the way her gaze grew shuttered he knew that she was still tender over last night's memories but she forced a smile.

"I'm as well as can be expected, my lord, though I am confused as to why I'm here." Though she had served herself a little bit of everything she spent more time playing with her chopsticks and rice than actually eating. Eriol had expected her appetite to be very much gone, but she needed to eat. Courtesy dictated that he ate only if she did, so he knew she would eat something just so that he wouldn't have to go hungry.

There was a multitude of ways that Eriol could go about getting information from her. He could coax it gently out of her with light teasing and mild flirtation. He could order it from her, as his status was quite far above hers. Considering what she had gone through, though, he chose the direct approach and spoke up after swallowing a bite of rice.

"Sakura… You did not just happen to find that staff, did you?" he asked softly. Her posture gave him the answer even before she spoke, her shoulders slumping as she put her chopsticks down.

"No, my lord… I did not. The disturbance you and his highness felt was my fault…" She explained about digging up the card and about Kero's spell, about how she had sealed it away. She gasped suddenly. "The card was in the pocket of my nightdress!" Kero had insisted that she keep it on her, even while she slept. The key was on a necklace tucked under her kimono but the card would have vanished along with her night clothes. To her surprise Eriol pulled the card out of his shirt and held it out to her.

"The maids found it when your clothes appeared in the laundry to be washed," he explained as she took it. Now that she looked it over more closely she realized the color scheme of the card had changed from red to pink and that there was a star embossed in the center of the magical circle.

From the way he was looking at her, Sakura knew that he knew it hadn't originally looked like this. She set it down in her lap, lowering her gaze to the table.

"I didn't know this would happen just by reading out the name on the card," she whispered, fingers curling into light fists in her lap. "I just did what Kero told me to do…" She looked up again, her expression somewhat desperate. "How could I have done it? I don't have the Gift – no one in my family had it! I was tested for it just like all the other children."

Eriol threaded his fingers together, his gaze thoughtful as he examined her. She wouldn't know it but he was checking her over for any sign that she might have the Gift at all – it was entirely possible that it had been too small to detect when she was younger and was only just now manifesting. He found nothing, a result he had half expected, and breathed a sigh.

"The best possible hypothesis I can offer right now, given my limited knowledge of you and that card, is that the magical power resides in the staff and in the card and you simply acted as a medium. Since you were able to invoke the spell on the card without the staff, I suppose that anyone can do so by simply calling out the name of the card and that the person holding the staff has the power to seal it away…"

"Brilliant as ever, Eriol, but you're wrong."

Both Sakura and Eriol looked up to find a dark-haired young woman standing in the doorway, her claret gaze appearing somewhat far away but an amused tilt to her lips. Eriol blinked, appearing startled to see the woman.

"Meiling, I didn't expect you to be up and about… Did Syaoran tell you what was going on, or did you See it?" he asked calmly, ignoring the way that Sakura had immediately clammed up and was now staring at the table again. The young seer drifted into the room.

"I had Seen many possible outcomes to his highness and your pleasure jaunt into the city but this one was the most likely… So I came to this room now, at the same point in my vision, to relay what I know. Perhaps it will be of some assistance to you, Sakura."

_That_ had Sakura looking up and around in surprise, her question evident on her features, but then she remembered that this 'Meiling' had mentioned visions and guessed that the girl knew her name from them. A small smile tipped the seer's lips again and she offered a hand to Sakura. For a moment Sakura didn't seem to realize what the seer wanted but it struck a moment later and she placed her palm in Meiling's. A curious sensation ran through her arm and she found that she could not pull her hand away. Meiling closed her eyes and Eriol got quietly to his feet.

"Yes… I can tell… Fate has not given you an easy path to walk, Sakura… You have experienced loss before, and you will experience it again…" When she opened her eyes they were tinted heavily with silver and there was a benevolent smile on her lips. "Do not despair, Sakura… You have been given a hard path, but there is much to gain from traversing where no other must go. Be wary of shadow and be cautious of water, for one is mere illusion, the other simple reflection…"

She stumbled, the silver fading from her eyes as she was released from the vision. Sakura started to her feet as the seer collapsed but Eriol had apparently been anticipating this, for he was there to catch the raven-haired woman as she fell unconscious.

"No one is really certain of the source of Lady Meiling's visions, but it is usually not gentle when it releases her," Eriol explained softly as he shifted the woman in his arms to carry her more comfortably. He opened his mouth to say something else but the door slid open again at that moment to reveal Prince Syaoran, who looked a little out of breath. His gaze landed on Meiling and, for a moment, surprise overrode the not of panic that had been in his chocolate gaze.

"…why is my cousin here?" he asked, concerned. Eriol glanced at Sakura.

"I was going to take her back to her room, but it seems the prince has something to say. Might I borrow your bed for a little bit?" he asked. Sakura was immediately on her feet and turning the blankets down for the unconscious woman.

"Of course you can, my lord. My lady came here trying to help me, after all – it's the least I can do to return the favor." Eriol set Meiling down but it was Sakura who carefully tucked the blankets around the unconscious Seer. Both Eriol and Syaoran watched Sakura silently, something she seemed to feel for she looked up sharply and, catching their gazes, blushed faintly and looked away. Syaoran was the first to recover.

"I found something in the library in the old levels that I think you should see, Eriol," Syaoran said. He hesitated a moment before glancing at Sakura. "I think you should see it too, Sakura, because it might pertain to you as well."

-CCS-

The trio walked in silence down the deserted halls of the palace, bare feet making almost no noise on the polished wooden floors. While Sakura and Eriol had talked in her room night had fallen, and now the only light that illuminated this passageway came from the blue and green glow of Eriol and Syaoran's respective magic. The shadows cast from the alternate light sources reminded Sakura eerily of ghosts and she shivered, automatically picking up her pace as she followed the two men.

Eventually they stopped, causing Sakura to nearly run into Eriol, and pushed open the doors to the palace library. These doors, like most in the palace, were sliding paper doors decorated with delicate paintings – in this instance it was a long-haired man seated under a cherry tree in full bloom, an open book in his hand. He didn't have a name but most people in the islands believed him to be the first emperor.

Since she'd never been here before Sakura didn't know that anything was different but both of her comrades stopped again, Eriol drawing in a shocked breath.

"I told you," Syaoran murmured quietly, his gaze also on the scene before them. Growing slightly irritated by the fact that neither man would explain anything to her, Sakura huffed and stepped around Eriol to get a good look.

"Wow," she breathed. Instead of the room resembling a normal library, with tidy shelves of books and piles of old scrolls, this room looked like someone had taken a chunk of the sky and stuffed it into a room. Though the affect appeared translucent, Sakura could also make out what seemed to be a maze of opalescent walls. "It's like a maze in here. How do you find anything?" she asked, glancing back at the prince and his advisor, who exchanged glances.

"Sakura, this is not how this room normally appears," Eriol explained softly, watching her closely. Sakura shifted under his sharp stare, suddenly feeling strange and a little nervous. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong everything decided to shift. The floor bubbled and the ceiling sagged, space and reality twisting and roiling. Thrown off balance by the rolling floor Sakura screamed when she was suddenly standing on nothing at all. Both prince and advisor lunged for her but the floor closed before either could grab her. As quickly as it had begun everything stilled once more, only this time Sakura was no longer present.

"What just…?" Syaoran began, looking around for their lost companion. Eriol, however, was already walking. It didn't take long for Syaoran to realize that not only was Sakura gone but the maze around them had shifted so that they were no longer near the entrance. Syaoran hurried to catch up to his advisor. "You suspected this would happen, didn't you?" he accused. Eriol raised an eyebrow.

"I had no idea that this would happen," he replied mildly as they walked. "But since it has, I can only suspect that there is something happening here that we are unnecessary for at the moment. Otherwise Sakura would not have been the target. For now, all we can do is try to escape this maze." Syaoran sighed and muttered something under his breath that Eriol didn't quite catch, but he didn't think he had to be a genius to guess what Syaoran was saying. After all, he was always annoyed with Eriol for being infuriatingly smug – something that Eriol was aware of.

-CCS-

_And here it ends, for now. Are things moving too slowly? I'm sorry if they are, especially considering the rate I update at. I envy the discipline other writers have to actually sit down and write, even if I _do_ work two jobs._

_And yes, the inspiration for this scene came from a Cardcaptor Sakura episode – a cookie to whoever guesses which one!_

_Anyway, I'm hungry, and I have to finish getting ready for work. Ciao, all!_

_Word count: 5,522_

_AkizukiSakura_


	6. Departure

**Title: **_Legend_ (_formerly _Pirates)

**Author: **_AkizukiSakura_

**Series: **_Cardcaptor Sakura_

**Genre: **_Romance/Adventure/Fantasy_

**Rating: **_M/R_

**Pairing(s): **_Sakura/Eriol_

**Spoilers/Warnings: **_None_

**Disclaimer: **_Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by the esteemed CLAMP and all subsequent copyrights. I claim no ownership of this series, nor do I make monetary profit from the writing of this story. Similarly, the realms of Tortall et al belong to Tamora Pierce._

**Summary: **_Sakura was just an ordinary girl living in the Yamani Islands with her family. Everything changed one day when she got involved in something that most would say she had no business involving herself in. It was the beginning of a long journey. Now she must travel throughout the realms to right the wrongs caused by this new power and face her enemy._

**Notes: **_ This chapter is dedicated to _CheeseyCraziness _for being such a faithful reader and reviewer._

-CCS-

**Chapter 5: **_Departure_

How long had they been walking now? An hour? Two? Syaoran had lost track of how much time had passed since Sakura had been swallowed up by the floor and left the two men to meander about in the maze in search of her. Eriol had not spoken at all since they'd started walking, which was rare considering how difficult it usually was for the prince to shut his adviser up.

There was a steady blue pulse rippling smoothly over the palm Eriol had gliding along the wall as they walked, and though Syaoran had asked what Eriol was doing he'd earned only silence in reply. This was another rarity – Eriol was typically very smug about knowing things know one else knew, and he wasn't shy about vocalizing them in that infuriatingly superior tone. It was this more than anything else that had Syaoran worrying about what was going to happen now.

Why had this whatever-it-was targeted Sakura, anyway? For the matter, why had it suddenly decided to manifest now? Syaoran knew that, while it was a side wing of the library, this room was not hidden, nor were people specifically kept out. Plenty of the palace inhabitants must have come in and left before Syaoran had today – in fact, Syaoran had come and gone once already. This maze hadn't been here the first time – there was only an extremely powerful magical signature present that Syaoran had wanted Eriol to take a look at.

It had only turned into this when he'd dragged Eriol and Sakura down to examine it. Clearly this magic was not meant to target him, since it hadn't activated the first time, and the fact that it was Sakura who was now missing suggested that there was more to her than he had first suspected, even _after_ knowing what she had 'found'.

That was another thing. Syaoran, admittedly, was not as well-read on the mythology of the Yamani Islands as his advisor, but he knew that Sakura shouldn't have been able to activate whatever spell she had activated simply because she had no Gift to speak of – Eriol had confirmed that shortly after her collapse, though he'd also seemed baffled to have had to exert so much energy on an un-Gifted human to put Sakura to sleep.

What was so special about her? She was quite pretty, but Syaoran doubted that whatever power was at work here was based purely on aesthetic appearances. She seemed a little bit more intelligent than the average commoner woman but Syaoran had only known her for perhaps two days, and half of that time or more she'd been asleep.

Syaoran cast a sidelong glance at his still-silent advisor, frowning faintly when Eriol merely continued walking rather than question the prince as to what was the matter. He didn't know what it was that made this young woman so special, but he didn't like how she'd just come into their lives and tossed everything upside down. He didn't like it one little bit.

-CCS-

Her first reaction to waking up lying on a hard, cold floor was to mutter something under her breath about not liking surprises. When she finally sat up and glanced around, Sakura was only mildly surprised that she didn't recognize her surroundings. She was more concerned with the disappearance of her companions and promptly got to her feet.

"Your highness? My lord?" she called into the darkness around her, half-hopeful that one would answer even as she knew she was completely alone. As she'd expected there was only silence to greet her worried inquiry. The part of her not ruled by logic wanted to plunge headlong into the darkness with the vague idea of locating some sort of wall or boundary, but the logical part of her promptly threw that idea out the proverbial window. The first thing Sakura did was take a deep, calming breath. There had to be a reason she was here. Resolutely not thinking about the idea that killing her could be a reason, she glanced around again. The darkness was just as thick as it had been before.

The darkness was so thick that she couldn't see anything at all…except… With a start of surprise Sakura realized that she could see herself quite clearly, eyes easily able to discern even the smallest details of her kimono. But how could that be? In fact, it almost looked like she was glowing a bit in the darkness that surrounded her.

It was only when her fingers curled around the magical key around her neck that Sakura realized her hand had automatically been seeking to reassurance. She closed her eyes and drew a deep, soothing breath to think. Her life hadn't been exactly normal lately, had it? First there was Kero and then there was the card and staff. She shouldn't have been able to awaken that spell, though – she had no Gift! She was no mage! Even so, Kero had asked her to repeat that spell and it worked. She opened her mouth to repeat it but, instead, different words came out.

"…_key that hides the forces of the darkness, show your true form before me! By the covenant I, Sakura, command you! Release!_" When she opened her eyes again there was the staff resting in her hand, complete with the strange bird-like device capping the top. Sakura was frightened, there was no denying it. Where had the words come from? How was she able to do these things? She had no magical Gift!

"You do them because it is necessary," remarked a deep voice. Sakura jumped and spun around, her grip on the staff tightening instinctively as she stared into the darkness in the direction she thought the voice might have come from. There was no one there but Sakura still felt an odd sort of presence. She should have been afraid but, somehow, it wasn't a scary presence. It was actually almost soothing.

"…what do you mean?" she asked the presence warily. "Who are you? _Where_ are you?" She got the distinctive feeling that the presence was mildly amused.

"The answers to those final questions are irrelevant," the presence assured her. Something about the voice was distinctively male, "and the first one I cannot answer. I am here to guide you for these moments because it is needed. …you have noticed that the darkness has not consumed you, yes? There is something very special about you that prevents it from doing so." The voice was starting to fade now for some reason. "What can keep the darkness at bay…?"

The presence was gone, taking the soothing feeling along with it, but Sakura was more focused on the words. What kept the darkness at bay? Well, light would keep the darkness at bay…

Unbidden, the image of the _Windy_ card came to her mind. She had read that word and ended up calling upon the wind, bit that word had been in Common, not in Yamani. Maybe this was one of those, too? If so, what was the Common word for light? Sakura thought hard for several moments.

"…_Light_?" she voiced aloud, stumbling over the foreign _'l'_ sound. To her surprise the darkness around her lurched and twisted, convulsing in the space that surrounded her even as the glow that had seemed so apparent on her form grew brighter. All right, so if that was the name for light, the Common name for the darkness was… "…_Dark_!" The convulsions of magic ceased for a moment before the darkness receded and coiled into a single point, bubbling and boiling like water as it stretched and retracted. The light shining on her followed suit until the two managed to solidify into the forms of women, one bright as the moonlight and one dark as midnight.

"We are the _Light_ and the _Dark_," they intoned, smiling at Sakura, who could only gape back in surprise.

"I have been within you for a long time, mistress," continued the _Light_ with a gentle smile. "I felt it immediately, that you would be able to do something. Please forgive my sister – she was only testing you." Their expressions grew very solemn.

"You are not an ordinary human, mistress, though I'm sure you knew that by now." The _Dark's_ voice was softer than the _Light's_, and deeper, but still melodious like her sister's. "When the time comes, we wish to serve you. Please, seal us together – it has been terrible to be apart for so long." They clasped hands, smiling at Sakura.

Though she had a great deal of questions, there was something in their eyes that let Sakura know these two would not be able to answer, just as that presence from before had not answered when she questioned it. Instead Sakura raised her staff, recalling the spell Kero had her repeat to seal the _Windy_.

"_Return to the guises you were meant to be in! Clow Cards!" _When the _Windy_ had been sealed it had been with a great burst of wind – these two were sealed much more quietly. The two cards hung in mid air, both sporting the same pink motif that the _Windy_ had been converted to. Sakura took them, noting with surprise that her name was inscribed upon the bottom of them now.

Sakura looked up and found that she was back in the maze that she'd been in before all this insanity had started. Now, though, she had an idea as to what she was supposed to do. She had the feeling, though, that she wouldn't be able to seal this card while trapped inside, and it felt almost like there were two cards mixed up in all this, now that she was able to identify what she felt.

"Oh – Sakura!" Recognizing that voice Sakura turned to find Eriol and Syaoran hurrying over to her. Both of them slowed to a stop and glanced from the staff and cards she still held to her unusually pale face. "…it looks like your purpose here in this maze has ended," Eriol remarked, smiling faintly at Sakura's blush. He offered her a hand, glancing back at the prince. "Take hold of my shoulder, your highness," he informed as Sakura hesitantly placed her hand in his. As soon as Syaoran did so the area around the three of them rippled and twisted – a moment later they landed outside of the maze.

"How did you –?" Syaoran began to ask but, before he could finish the question, the maze in front of them gave a twist and rose several feet before bending towards them, clearly attempting to swallow them back up inside. Sakura raised her staff, the names of the two entwined cards coming to her in a flash.

"_Maze! Illusion!" _The maze froze for a moment, giving Sakura time to raise her staff. _"Return to the guises you were meant to be in! Clow Cards!" _Like the _Light_ and the _Dark_, these two cards sealed quietly and fluttered over to hang in the air in front of Sakura until she took them. They, too, were pink and both of them now bore her name, inscribed in Common at the bottom of each card. Sakura flushed faintly under the stares Eriol and Syaoran were leveling at her.

"Maybe you should tell us what happened when you vanished," Syaoran suggested quietly.

-CCS-

Sakura trailed a finger around the rim of her teacup without looking at her companions as the two men digested the story she'd just told them. It was Syaoran who broke the silence first.

"You do them because it is necessary'?" Syaoran drummed his fingers on the table irately, clearly annoyed with the cryptic statement. "I have always disliked omens and portents. They require translation and no translation is ever one hundred percent accurate. And you are certain there was nothing else?" he questioned Sakura, who shook her head.

"The _Light _and the _Dark_ were just as vague, my lord prince," she replied demurely. "I can't explain what happened much more than it was a…a feeling of sorts to do what I did. I don't really understand it, but…"

"But it happened," Eriol finished for her, smiling faintly at the girl when she gave him a slightly relieved smile. His expression turned serious again. "However, though Sakura can give us no more information, we must learn what this new power is that only she can seem to command." He pulled off his spectacles and polished them idly. Syaoran, recognizing the look in his advisor's eyes, shook his head and got to his feet.

"I'll leave that to you then, Eriol. I never had the patience to sit and read through all those dry scrolls in that library of yours." He ignored the pointed expression Eriol gave him, the one that said '_maybe that's why I know more spells than you_' and offered a hand to Sakura. "If you wish, I can have you shown back to your room." They had been in the maze for several hours and Sakura had collected four more cards, but her magical efforts were taking a toll on her – something that Syaoran had noticed in her white complexion and drooping eyelids.

With a murmur of thanks she accepted Syaoran's hand, allowing the prince to pull her to her feet. Eriol, already lost in thought, offered an absentminded farewell for the evening that she replied just as distantly before the prince guided her off to her room, a steadying hand kept at the small of her back. After he was certain that Sakura was in bed and asleep, Syaoran slid the door closed, catching a glimpse of Kero as he drifted across the room to the bed to watch over his mistress.

Syaoran yawned and stretched, sighing as he turned down the hallway to head off to his room. There was no use in trying to talk to Eriol right now – the mage would only give him half answers and a quarter of his attention and Syaoran wasn't in the mood to have his headache made worse by his advisor's riddles. As he placed his hand on the door to his room, however, something made Syaoran pause. He glanced back down the way he'd come from, brown gaze sharpening considerably. For some reason a sudden, heavy feeling of dread settled over his shoulders.

He couldn't explain the feeling but he immediately turned and hurried off down the hall, gathering magic to his palm and opening a communication spell. It took several moments for the person on the other end of the spell to respond, and Eriol sounded annoyed to be disturbed.

"Yes, my prince? What is so urgent that you couldn't just come to the library to speak to me instead of interrupting my–"

"I think something's happened to Sakura!" Syaoran interrupted before Eriol could settle into his rant. "I can't explain it, but something just tells me that she's in trouble and I'm worried about her."

Eriol's voice was half annoyed and half amused now. "I can't explain it' seems to be a very popular phrase lately… All right. I will meet you at Sakura's room," Eriol promised finally, ending his half of the spell. Syaoran closed his hand, emerald power slowly dissipating.

Though Eriol had been further from Sakura's room than Syaoran was, Syaoran reached their young guest's room just in time for Eriol to walk around the corner. Eriol's knowledge of the palace's corridors and passages was unparalleled, even over the royal family's. Without a word Eriol quietly pushed open the sliding door peeking into the room and, a moment later, throwing the door open all the way.

"Sakura?" Prince and advisor vocalized at the same time, unease coursing through them at the sight of the empty bed. Not only was it empty but the sheets and coverlet were thrown all over the place, indicating signs of a struggle, and part of the heavy coverlet was moving slightly. Eriol lifted it magically to reveal a very stunned Kero, who seemed to be in the midst of shaking off a spell powerful enough to dazzle even him. Syaoran picked up the creature, smoothing his ruffled wings and setting him down on the bed.

"Kero," Eriol began as he let the coverlet drop back to the floor, "do you know what happened? Where is Sakura?" Even without Kero's expression clouding with anger and helplessness, however, the two men knew already that Sakura was gone.

"They came in shortly after you left, prince," Kero stated when he was lucid again. "I'm not sure what they were, or where they were from, but the stunning spell they used on me was one I've never handled before. It almost felt like a _dragon's_ spell, but it wasn't quite…right." He looked up, golden gaze beseeching. "I can't feel her presence in the palace any longer. It's faint, but it feels like…" He closed his eyes, gold power rippling over his wings and body as he concentrated.

"They are at the pier!" he announced suddenly, wings fluttering as he took to the air. "We must go! I assume one of you must have a ship that is ready to sail for emergency? We won't be able to catch her before they depart." Eriol was already pulling a sheet of rice paper from the drawer of the desk and scrawling a note on it in words that shimmered a brilliant blue.

"I'm sending a note to Yamazaki," he explained. "Yamazaki is the captain of the _Sea Goddess_; he can get my ship ready to sail within the hour." The note vanished as soon as he'd finished scribbling, to be replaced by another.

"To my mother?" Syaoran asked soberly about the second note as he headed to the door. Eriol nodded absently. Syaoran sighed. "I'll have our things packed in ten minutes," he promised. The door slid closed behind him. Eriol finished his note and straightened, turning to Eriol.

"We'll meet him at the stables, Kero." His sapphire gaze went flat and cold. "And we'll find Sakura. I don't know who would have taken her, but I have a feeling we aren't the only ones who know that something is happening, and she is a part of it."

-CCS-

As promised, when Eriol and Kero reached the stables ten minutes later, servants were already leading out their horses, laden with saddlebags, and Syaoran was buckling on his sword. He tossed a long, staff-like stick to Eriol, who caught it with ease. Catching Kero's curious expression, Eriol smiled.

"It's a bow," he explained as he mounted his horse, accepting a square of oiled paper from a servant. He showed Kero the notches at each end of the yew staff. "I'm the only one who can use this bow, partly because it's so large and also because it's keyed to my magical signature and mine alone." Eriol placed the staff in a special holster on his saddle, tucking the oiled square into a pouch right next to it and taking the quiver the servant offered him a moment later, fastening that, too, to his saddle. Kero had never seen such long arrows, not even from the hunting god Weiryn.

He shook his furred head and shrugged, choosing not to remark. The expression in Eriol's cobalt stare suggested that he would not take kindly to having his skill questioned. Kero would just wait – there was likely to be ample opportunity to see the advisor's skill in battle later.

In a length of time shorter than Kero would have believed a mortal could take, prince and advisor set off into the late night, silver moonlight spilling down into the city and lighting the stones of the path in front of the horses as they headed to the docks. For a moment Kero was dragged back to a moment in time that he did not want to revisit, a moment where the Goddess was spilling her moonbeams over the lands once more, and Kero had never before felt such sorrow.

Eriol's horse leapt over a low wall, startling Kero back into the present day. He shook his head to clear, garnering an odd stare from the advisor that he ignored. There would be time later to reminisce, if he wished to. For now, the fate of these lands depended on this girl and Kero had taken that oath to be certain that she would be as prepared as she could be when she was needed. He could only hope that they could find her before _he_ did.

The silhouette of a ship rising and falling gently with the waves hove into view after less than ten minutes of riding. Even one such as Kero, with the power of flight and a miniscule need for human transportation, could appreciate the beauty of the ship. Painted a lovely blue and trimmed with silver, white sails billowing in the late breeze, it was small enough to be fast but large enough, Kero discerned with his sharp gaze, to carry armaments. Silently, he approved. If any ship would be able to catch the other, it was this one.

He bore introductions stoically, ignoring the strange look Captain Yamazaki gave him, and fluttered off almost immediately to inspect the ship as the crew loaded Syaoran and Eriol's belongings. To their credit the crew did so quickly and quietly and, in less time than anyone but Eriol – whose ship and crew it was – would have believed, the ship was pulling out of the harbor.

In the captain's cabin, Eriol had constructed a dome of glass to fit over the ship's compass. In it he placed strands of Sakura's hair that he had managed to gather from the room. Now the dome shone faintly and a thin line of blue pointed from the compass, extending a few inches and tapering off. Following that light would allow them to find Sakura.

Knowing his spell would be fine, Eriol exited the cabin and wandered out onto the main deck, noticing immediately the figure leaning on the wooden rails toward the bow of the ship. He moved over to join the prince, standing in silence for a time and simply watching the waves.

"Did it surprise you at all when Kero said we should go, and neither of us protested it, even a little?" Syaoran asked suddenly. Eriol glanced at his prince but said nothing, knowing that he wasn't finished.

"I can't help but wonder what sort of power she has over us now…" Eriol did not have to ask to know Syaoran was talking about Sakura. "Should I be worried? Or should I worry more about what has yet to happen?" Eriol rested a hand on his friend's shoulder for a moment, meeting Syaoran's gaze calmly when the prince looked his way.

"Whatever happens, my prince… We will always know we did the right thing. There is something about Sakura that draws us to her. I don't know if it's her power, a power which I have never seen before, or if it is simply her charm and sweet nature. Either way, I feel that the threads of Fate are entwined strongly with her, just as Lady Meiling felt."

Silence fell upon them once more as each contemplated what would happen next. Neither man commented when Kero fluttered over to perch upon the railing between them, nor did Kero offer any comment to begin a new conversation. All chose silence as their method of contemplation, each thinking their own thoughts – each thought centered on the young woman who had so suddenly entered their lives and turned them upside down.

-CCS-

_NFAS is kicking my ass, man. I'm on my last class of A School. Yay. Only eighteen more months before I get to my ship and set sail._

_The next time some Navy recruiter tells you that learning a four year degree in twelve months is easy, don't believe them!_

_Ciao._

_Word Count: 4,134_

_AkizukiSakura_


End file.
